


Money is the Anthem of Success

by NitroJen



Category: Borderlands, Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, D/s, Drugs, Handsome Jack the drug lord, Hyperion everywhere, Illegal Activities, Kidnapping, M/M, Minor Character Death, Sex on top of money, Some Dom/Sub themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-19
Updated: 2016-09-15
Packaged: 2018-04-15 14:14:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 27,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4609746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NitroJen/pseuds/NitroJen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Handsome Jack was well known amongst black markets for being the world's biggest drug lord and head of Hyperion, the world's largest drug cartel. He's got a hot temper, doesn't take anyone's shit, and a body count that steadily rises as his business gets bigger.</p><p>Rhys is just a programmer at Hyperion, the richer than it should be tech company. He doesn't ask questions, he just does his job and doesn't look at the numbers. </p><p>One night, Rhys gets in the way of one of Handsome Jack's biggest deals of the year, but instead of shooting Rhys on the spot, Jack takes a liking to him and decides he's going to keep him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Money is the Reason We Exist

**Author's Note:**

> Loosely inspired by National Anthem and Florida Kilos by Lana Del Ray
> 
> this fic was dead BUT NOW I BROUGHT IT BACK

“So, what exactly does Hyperion do?”

And there it was. The question. Why did people always have to ask that question? Rhys had been working at Hyperion for three years and he still didn’t know how to answer the question. And to be frank, after years, he was tired of answering it. He was a programmer in their robotics department. Designs and blueprints would show up, and Rhys would do his best to program the robots to do what Hyperion wanted. Some defused bombs, some were bombs, and some seemed were just really grown up toys that were meant to impress people. Each day brought a new and more bizarre project, but Rhys never questioned it. One of the things he’d been told by the stony-faced woman on his first day was to not ask questions and he’d done exactly that. Rhys liked to think that’s how he managed to get the robotic prosthetic arm they’d given him six months later. Hyperion didn’t have a high employee retention rate, but he never questioned it.

The same way Vaughn had told him he never questioned how millions of dollars would ebb and flow from the company’s books. The two of them had been slowly making their way up through the company that way. That didn’t stop them from telling each other the weird things they’d been asked to do over lunch. 

“Hyperion is a leader in robotic technology and weapons development.” Rhys told the guy who had been flirting with him at the bar. It was from the description on Hyperion’s website, and that was about as accurate and as inaccurate as it could get. They did more than make weapons and robots. He knew of several departments in the company that had ambiguous names where he’d only seen the employees once or twice. But they did develop weapons and robotics, and as little as they produced, they were good at it. Hyperion was just starting to catch the attention of larger industries for their small batches of what magazines were calling “smart weapons” whatever that meant. 

“I heard there’s a drug cartel that stole the Hyperion name.” The guy said as he sipped at his drink. Rhys shrugged and stifled a groan. That was the other question that people always asked him. “How much would that suck? You couldn’t even go after them for stealing your name because that’s probably the most legal part of their operation.” The guy laughed, Rhys wanted to forget he’d even mentioned the Hyperion name. 

He’d heard of the other Hyperion, but he’d been assured, that the two were very different operations. Hyperion the Drug Cartel was owned by a lunatic that shot people for fun and spent money like there was no tomorrow. Hyperion the Tech Company was owned by a recluse that had never shown his face. Vaughn had assured him that if the Tech Hyperion was owned by the Drug Hyperion, their spending would have made both companies bankrupt years ago. But that didn’t stop them from speculating anyways. 

“Yeah.” Rhys muttered. “Hilarious. I think I’m going to go.” He said. “I have…stuff to do.” And with that, he paid his tab and left the bar, pointedly ignoring the number the other guy had written on a napkin for him. 

Vaughn had told him Hillcrest would be a good area for him to meet guys, but they’d all been the wrong type. They all liked talking about themselves and asking Rhys about rumors that surrounded his job, then got bored when they found out he was just a boring programmer. Rhys was too busy for a relationship anyways. Work had steadily been piling up and his superior had implied that if he kept up the good work, a promotion might come soon.

The nice thing about Hillcrest was that it bordered the park, and at this time of night, it would practically empty, leaving Rhys with a good place to clear his thoughts. He just needed to figure out how to get there. He wandered around for a bit, admiring the way neon from the storefronts illuminated the sidewalk and listening to the dull thump of the music from the various clubs. It really was a nice night, even if he didn’t find the park, walking down the streets wasn’t a bad way to spend his time. It was better than listening to self absorbed assholes talk about how much money they made at a bar.

As the area around him got more and more worn down and dilapidated and the streets emptied, Rhys started wondering how far from the park –and his car- he’d wandered, but he didn’t have much time to consider it when he saw a large group of people gathered in an empty lot about a block ahead of him.

A man from an alley stepped forward and grabbed his shoulder and Rhys had to stifle a surprised shriek. “You’re late.” The man growled from the shadows. Rhys tried to make out his face, but the man’s hood was obscuring his features. “Vasquez is gonna be pissed, but you should be fine. Just give me the drive with the coordinates and we’ll be golden.”

“Coordinates?” Rhys asked as he stepped back. The crowd up ahead took notice of him. Shit. What had he walked into? “I don’t have any drives, or coordinates with me.” Rhys said as he tried to break away from the stranger, but the man’s grip was tight in his shirt. “You must be mixed up.” He tried to break away again, but the other man refused to relent. Who did he think Rhys was? Rhys was still dressed in his work shirt and slacks. He didn’t look anything like the men approaching them. 

“Is this our guy?” A man from the large group asked as they approached him, effectively trapping Rhys. He was probably twice Rhys’ size and despite his suit, Rhys did not think he was a businessman. No. This was not good. There were masked men with guns, looking bored and they perked when they saw Rhys like wolves finding something to hunt. What had he wandered into? The man in front of him was dressed too nicely for this to be something gang related, but this clearly wasn’t legal, and there was something sharp in his glance. 

“He fits the description they gave us but he’s playing around like he’s clueless.” The man from the shadows said. “Show him the money, maybe that’ll make him remember why he’s here and that he has a job to do.” A man in baggy pants wearing a ski mask stepped forward and opened a suitcase full of what had to be the most money Rhys had ever seen in one place at one time. He briefly wished he had a thumb drive he could give them, since the money was clearly meant for him. Well, the man they thought he was. The case snapped shut and he winced, head snapping up.

“I still don’t know what you’re talking about.” Rhys started to say when a car pulled up and a group of men jumped out, yelling and shouting. The men with the guns turned around and started shooting, the suited man shouting at them. The sound of gunfire was loud in his ears and felt like a punch to the chest.

A man in red grabbed the suitcase and tossed it into the car collapsing to the ground moments later, full of holes. Shots rang out and two of the men with guns fell before Rhys came to his senses and hid behind a trash can in the alley. He could hear yelling in spanish and more gunfire and peeked out to see the car taking off, tires screeching.

“Somebody fucking chase them!” The man in the suit shouted, face beet red, as the remaining men scrambled into a car and took off after the men that had stolen the money.

“Oh. You’re in deep shit.” The hooded man said as he opened a door and slid into one of the buildings. Rhys jumped up and tried to go after the him, tugging at the door desperately, but it was locked. He was trapped and he was sure there was still a group of very angry people out there that wanted their thumb drive and money.

The man in the suit stepped into the alley, only this time, his face was spattered with blood and he was glaring daggers into Rhys. He was pretty sure if looks could kill, he’d be dead right now. Dead like the men in the street. Wow, that was a lot of dead bodies, and a lot of blood. The air smelled like smoke and burnt rubber, but there was something sickening about it. Rhys felt his stomach churn. “Come with me.” The man said. “You get to explain to Handsome Jack why his biggest trade of the year was just ambushed by a bunch of cholos.”

Handsome Jack. That name was familiar. He’d heard it whispered on the streets and in alleys. The name clicked and all the color drained from Rhys’ face. Handsome Jack was the head of the Hyperion Drug Cartel. Everyone at work knew that. Handsome Jack, the man who would shoot you if you told him something he didn’t want to hear, the man who had more money in his back pocket than Rhys had ever made in his life. The world’s biggest drug lord, and Rhys had just fucked up his biggest deal of the year.

“This is all just a huge mix up.” Rhys said, holding his hands up and stepping back. The man pulled out a pistol. Rhys was going to die. There was no way Handsome Jack would believe him; he doubted the Drug Lord would even listen to him. “I was just looking for the park and I got lost, you don’t understand!”

“Save it for Handsome Jack.” The man said with a smile as he brought the butt of the gun down on the side of Rhys’ head. There was a burst of pain and then, darkness.


	2. It's a Fact Kiss Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one.
> 
> The only. 
> 
> Handsome Jack.

Rhys came to with a groan. His head was pounding and he was afraid to open his eyes. What the hell had happened? It all hit him and he opened his eyes. He was in a huge office, not unlike the upper level ones where he worked, and he was tied to a chair. Rhys tried to move his prosthetic arm, but it had probably run out of charge hours ago. Daylight was streaming in from the large windows that looked out at the ocean. Of course the drug cartel would have an office with a great view. At least he was alone and not dead yet. 

“Finally, you’re awake!” A voice from behind him shouted. His head whipped around to search for the source of the voice. The pain in his head let him know how bad an idea it was to move, but Rhys did his best to push it aside. He finally found the source of the voice. There he was, dressed in a suit, hair styled in a way that Rhys is pretty sure defies physics and mask on his face. Except the mask wasn’t what Rhys had thought. When people told him about the mask, he thought maybe Jack wore some kind of clown mask, but this mask looked like it was perfectly molded to his face and made out of the synthetic skin that one of the other departments at Hyperion the Tech Company had produced. Another thing Rhys noticed was that the name Handsome Jack wasn’t an exaggeration.  
“This is all a huge mistake.” Rhys said but Jack shushed him and stepped forward, leaning against his desk and looking over Rhys. The way Jack was looking at him felt invasive, like Rhys was exposed somehow. 

“A mistake?” Jack asked. “You come into a private deal last night and cost me ten million dollars and my year’s biggest shipment of cocaine and you’re telling me it was all a big mistake?” The man laughed and shook his head. 

“I don’t think it was a very private deal if I was able to ruin it.” Rhys said and realized moments later that he may have chosen the wrong words. 

Jack’s eyebrows went up and he stepped forward, taking Rhys’ chin in his hand and looking over his face. “I should kill you.” He said. “I mean, after all this, I want to kill a lot of people. But I just got a call from Vasquez letting me know his man showed up an hour late to six bodies.” He let go and stepped back. “You clearly don’t work for Vasquez.” Jack said as he sat on the edge of his desk again. “But we have a problem here…” He waved his hand in the air. 

“Rhys.”

“We have a little problem here, Rhys. I just lost ten million and Vasquez is getting cold feet about the deal we had. Not only that, but now you know about our little operation here. You have to understand we can’t just let you go.” 

So this was where Handsome Jack would shoot him. He wondered if anyone knew he was missing. He lived alone so no one would even know he was gone until he didn’t show up to work. Rhys didn’t talk to his family and he only really had Yvette and Vaughn. No one else. Hyperion was filled with assholes, he hadn’t really made many friends there. Rhys wasn’t going to cry, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t terrified. He never thought he’d die this early, especially not at the hands of a drug dealer after getting lost in Hillcrest of all places. 

“I like you, cupcake.” Handsome Jack said decisively. “Since you clearly can’t pay back my millions, I’m going to keep you, how does that sound?”

Rhys wasn’t going to die today, that was nice, but Handsome Jack said he was going to keep him. What the hell did that mean? Adults can’t just decided they want to keep other adults. Not like this. “Excuse me?” Rhys asked. “I have a job, and friends, you can’t just do this.”

Handsome Jack laughed and shook his head. “You. You are funny.” He said as he pointed at Rhys. “Don,” He shouted, “Don!” There was a reply from outside. “Rhys here thinks I can’t keep him! Isn’t that hilarious?” He took a few deep breaths and looked at Rhys. “You don’t seem to understand how this works.” Jack said, ignoring the look of fear on Rhys’ face. “Either I keep you, or you die?” 

“What are you going to do to me?” Rhys asked. Handsome Jack wasn’t known to be nice. Was Jack going to hurt him, or rape him? What if Jack just kept him around to beat the shit out of when he was in a bad mood? What if Jack killed him when he was in a bad mood? He didn’t want to be kept around like some kind of pet so Handsome Jack could kill him on a bad day. 

“I dunno.” Jack shrugged. “Take you places. Show you how all of this works. I need someone around that doesn’t work for me, y’know?” Rhys shook his head, still terrified. He wasn’t going to die, but this sounded like it might be worse. Handsome Jack sighed. “Think of yourself as my new travel buddy.” He suggested. “You’ll love it.” 

“So you’re not going to hurt me?” Rhys asked. 

“Not if you don’t run away.” Jack said. “And if you do run away, I will find you, and then I’ll kill you, but stick with me and you’ll be living the life. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go talk Vasquez back into a deal. Don will take care of you while I’m gone, show you the apartment, all that shit.” Jack got up and started heading towards the door. If Jack was going to “take care of him” the least he could do is charge Rhys’ arm. 

“Jack?”

“Yeah, cupcake?” Jack asked as he turned around. 

Rhys gulped. “Could you…could someone…uh, get me a charger for my arm?” Jack looked at Rhys’ arm and nodded. 

“Sure thing, cupcake.” He said as he leaned down and kissed Rhys’ forehead. “See ya later.” 

And with that, Handsome Jack was gone, and Rhys was left alone again, wondering what the hell that kiss had meant.


	3. He Says to "Be Cool"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rhys is a Ken Doll in Jack's Malibu Dream House

A few minutes later, a man the size of a linebacker came in and for a brief moment, Rhys thought he was going to get the crap beat out of him, but the linebacker was just here to untie him.

“I’m Don.” He said, voice low and rough, like someone that smoked too much. He helped Rhys out of the chair. “Handsome Jack has a list of things he wants me to get for you before the end of the day.” Rhys wanted to stay silent and be as passively uncooperative as possible, but his stomach betrayed him and growled loudly. “Food is first on the list, then clothes.” He said. “I’ll take your arm so someone can charge it and have it returned to the apartment.” Rhys undid the mechanism on his arm and handed it to Don, who handed it off to someone else when they left Jack’s office. It was strange, Jack’s people were everywhere. He thought wondered if he’d really been alone with Jack in Jack’s office or if someone had been there in the shadows and he hadn’t seen them. 

It looked almost exactly like Hyperion. Rhys honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he found out the two companies were connected now, but he wondered about the finances that Vaughn had talked about. The way money moved made sense now. Rhys wondered where the ten million had come from and how exactly they were going to fix that problem. As nonchalantly as he’d mentioned it, Jack was clearly bothered by it.

Don brought Rhys to a small café in the building and got him breakfast, which Rhys devoured eagerly. He was still doing his best to not say anything to Don. While he was being nice, he was still part of Handsome Jack’s organization and he was playing a part in keeping Rhys captive.

“So you work for Hyperion.” Don said when they were finished and riding in one of Jack’s car to get him clothes.

“And you work for the other, illegal Hyperion.” Rhys said as he looked out the window. They were heading to the nicer shopping center just outside of town. “You know I have plenty of clothes at my apartment.” He said. “We don’t need to buy any.”

“You can take that up with Handsome Jack later.” Don said. “I’m just following orders and trying to not get shot.”

Just like Hyperion the Tech Company. Follow orders and try not to get fired. In Don’s case, getting fired was more permanent. But he wasn’t working for Hyperion anymore. He belonged to Handsome Jack now. The thought disgusted him. Handsome Jack was famous enough that he probably had plenty of people to choose from. But he’d chosen Rhys. Was it really better than dying?

The car stopped at a small athletic store where Don gave the associate a list and Rhys was shoved into a dressing room and forced to try on shorts that were way too short for him to be comfortable. They also cost more than he thought something that was made of so little material could be. Jack couldn’t force him into the clothing. Rhys would just never wear it and Jack would be out on the thousand dollars that it cost to buy Rhys athletic wear he’d never see again.

Then came the tailors, who measured Rhys, mumbling about how tall he was. He didn’t know why He had to go to several, maybe it would get him clothes faster, or maybe that was just how Jack worked. When the last tailor complained about how Rhys’ legs were too long, Don had sent Rhys to the car and he came out a few minutes later with a pleased smirk that Rhys didn’t want to know about and bloody knuckles.

When they were finally done, Rhys was dropped off at a large house overlooking the ocean. The house merged seamlessly into the cliff it was resting on, white stucco contrasting with green grass and blue water. It was like some kind of Malibu dream house that sat at the end of Point Loma, which shouldn’t have even been legal. Wasn’t there supposed to be a lighthouse here? Then again, when was any of this legal? 

There was a small waterfall next to the door, that flowed into a small pond filled with expensive fish. Rhys hated how nice this house was. There were two men guarding the door and Rhys saw a few more in various areas outside the house standing guard. It only made sense for a drug lord as big as Handsome Jack, of course he’d have a security detail. One of the guards let him inside, the door shutting behind him.

And then he was alone.

He didn’t know what he was expecting when he entered the house, but he wasn’t expecting it to be so...comfortable. The marble floors had large plush carpets spread over them and there was a sunken living room with huge plush couches that Rhys wanted to collapse into. As Rhys looked around, he recognized some of the tech he’d programmed and even some of his designs. He laughed at it. He thought the technology he’d created would be sent out to the markets and mass produced, but here it was in Handsome Jack’s ridiculous house probably only used to show off at parties.

He sighed and rubbed his face. He needed a shower and to change out of yesterday's clothes. Rhys tried to convince himself that things were okay as he stripped in the bathroom that was bigger than his bedroom. He looked at the bruise on his face in the mirror and tried to tell himself that he’d get through this. As much as his mouth said the words, his mind refused to accept that this was okay. He just wanted to go home, but Handsome Jack had made it clear Rhys wouldn’t be able to run away.

As much as he tried to scrub his thoughts away in the shower that was too nice for its own good, they refused to leave. What would his friends think? Would Handsome Jack have someone tell them he was dead? Would he even bother? If they reported him missing, would anyone actually look for him or would Jack just pay off the police to make him disappear. He didn’t know. Rhys didn’t know anything and it was awful. Handsome Jack had said he wouldn’t hurt him, but Rhys couldn’t trust him.

He stepped out of the shower and put on one of the longer pairs of shorts that had been bought for him. Rhys looked around and found a bedroom, the bed was huge and covered with large pillows and it looked out over the ocean. He gently pressed his hand down onto the mattress and the bed was somehow even softer than it looked. There was a closet that was the size of his bedroom and Rhys managed to find an old sweatshirt. He was sure Handsome Jack wouldn’t mind.

He stepped back into the main area and was happy to find his arm on a table, fully charged. He put it back on and did his exercises when he heard the door open. He looked back to see Handsome Jack on the phone speaking what sounded like Spanish. He hung up and made his way over to Rhys.

“Sorry about that, kitten, I was just finishing up a small order. Flavored cocaine, would you believe it?” He kissed Rhys’ cheek and Rhys did his best to not flinch away or look disgusted. “I don’t think I’d ever buy it, but I think it’ll sell well with the teenagers.” He stretched. “I see you’ve made yourself comfortable, that’s good.”

There was something intimidating about being alone with Handsome Jack in his house. He felt so foreign and out of place, like Jack would kill him if he touched the wrong thing. It would have been so much easier if the house had been uncomfortable, then Rhys would have been okay standing there not touching anything.

Handsome Jack was looking at him, taking him in and Rhys shifted, a bit uncomfortably. “Go ahead sit down. I’m going to get us some drinks and tell you more about the hellish day I had at work.”

“Alright.” Rhys said quietly as he went over to the couch and sat down. He allowed himself to sink down into it and he closed his eyes. 24 hours ago, he’d been heading home from work ready to spend his paycheck on expensive drinks at overpriced bars. Now, he was sitting on a drug lord’s couch while said drug lord was making them both drinks.

“So.” Handsome Jack said as he sat down next to Rhys and handed him a drink. “What do you know about Hyperion?” He sipped at his own drink and watched Rhys with a look that made him feel slightly uneasy. 

“Which one?” Rhys asked. “The tech company or the...other one.” He held his drink awkwardly in his hands not really wanting to drink it under Handsome Jack’s scrutinizing gaze. 

Handsome Jack smirked. “The drug cartel.” He said.

“Well, I know that you run it and that I caused you to lose ten million dollars. That’s it.” Rhys said. He wished he’d stolen a pair of Jack’s sweatpants too, he felt to exposed. 

“That’s just the tip of the iceberg, cupcake.” Jack said. “But it’s a good start. I basically acquire and sell cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. Have you ever used a gun before?” He asked.

Rhys shook a head. He’d designed a few weapons, programmed a few weaponized bots, but he’d never used them. 

“What about cocaine? Have you ever seen cocaine in real life?” Jack asked and Rhys shook his head. The other male looked awed and took a long sip of his drink. “I feel like I’m corrupting you.” He said. “You know literally nothing about any of this, do you?”

“No I can’t say I do.” Rhys said as he sipped at his drink, sputtering when he realized how strong it was, causing Jack to laugh. 

“Well, we’ll change all of that tomorrow.” Jack said with a smile. “I’m going to bring you to work with me, that way everyone can see how cute you are.” Rhys thought Jack was going to pinch his cheek, but he was glad Jack stayed where he was. So he was a pet. And Jack was bringing him to work to show him off to everyone like he was a puppy. “And you’ll finally get to see what cocaine looks like. Maybe even heroin if we have any sitting around.” He hummed as he pulled out his phone and started typing. He hoped Jack wouldn’t make him do anything demeaning. He was being nice to Rhys so far, but Jack’s mood could switch at any time. 

“I’d take you out for dinner to show you off, but we don’t have any suits for you yet because of those damned legs of yours. Not that I don’t like them,” Jack said. “I love them, but it means your suits might take a bit longer. I ordered some food and it’ll be here in a few minutes.” 

Rhys nodded and hoped there would be something he liked. He wasn’t picky but he would have liked to at least choose the food his captor was feeding him. 

“Don’t look so upset, Rhys.” Jack said. “Do you know how many people would kill to be in the position you’re in right now?” He asked as he grabbed Rhys’ chin and forced eye contact between the two of them. Jack’s eyes were two different colors, just like his. Jack probably didn’t have an enhanced prosthetic eye though. “You can either stay here with me and enjoy being spoiled and taught how to run an empire, or I can shoot you. It’s your choice.” 

Rhys wondered if living with Jack was really worth it. He wouldn’t be able to see his friends and he would be involved in a highly illegal operation. What if Handsome Jack was caught and he was sent to jail. Rhys hadn’t even done anything, but he knew what kind of punishment he could get for even knowing Handsome Jack. 

Then again. Maybe if he played Jack’s game, he could get the other male to lighten up and let him see his friends. Even if he couldn’t let them know where he’d gone or why, they could at least know that he wasn’t dead. And Handsome Jack didn’t seem like he was too bad. He was actually being pretty nice to Rhys and if he could get on Jack’s good side, maybe he’d be able to do some robotic design again. 

“I’ll stay.” Rhys said. “But my friends need to know I’m okay, and I’m not killing anyone.” 

Handsome Jack lit up and kissed his cheek again. He still wasn’t used to that, but at least Jack wasn’t being too forceful about it. “I knew you’d make the right choice, kitten.” He said smoothly into Rhys’ ear. “I’m going to need you to make me some promises. No contacting anyone, no talking to the DEA, you know the deal, that stuff, but I think we’re going to have a great time together. Now about that arm of yours, is that technology from Hyperion?”

Rhys looked at his arm like he’d never noticed it until that moment. “Yeah.” He said. “Hyperion the tech company, not your Hyperion.”

Jack was laughing at him again and Rhys frowned, causing Jack to laugh more. “I’m sorry, just...your face and you don’t even know.” He went on for a few more moments before he stopped and clapped a hand on Rhys’ shoulder to hold himself up. “I own the other Hyperion too.” Jack said. “Come on, you didn’t know that?”

“I’d thought that maybe, but they tell us all at least once a month that the two aren’t related.” Rhys said and Jack started laughing again. 

“I tell you what, I still don’t know how I haven’t been caught. Well, I do know how I haven’t been caught, I pay people to stay quiet. How’d you get your arm from them? We don’t really give that shit away.”

“I work-” Rhys paused. “Worked for Hyperion.” He corrected himself. He doubted he’d be returning to his job...well, ever. “I was a programmer and designer in the robotics department. I’ve actually programmed a lot of the tech you have here.”

“No shit. What’d you program? No. Wait, let me guess.” Jack looked around. “You look like you probably designed my coffee maker, and Drinky.” 

“Drinky?” Rhys was almost afraid to ask. 

“Yeah, the machine that made drinks. It made these.” He said as he lifted his glass. Rhys looked down at his own. He’d have to ask Drinky to make him drinks he actually liked. 

“Uh yeah. I programmed those, along with most of the Hyperion robotics in your kitchen. I also programmed the robot that punches people and the gun that shoots the small iron horses. No offense, but you have really...weird taste in robotics” Rhys said. His superior still has a picture of his face when he was asked to design that last one. He couldn’t even take himself seriously as he did it. “I’d always wondered what that one went.”

“No shit.” Jack said. “Of all the people that could ruin my biggest trade of the year, it’s the guy that programmed half of my house. It’s a good thing the security system isn’t Hyperion, or I’d have to be worried.” Jack said. 

Rhys preened under the attention, he should have felt strange, but one of the richest men in the world was complimenting him. Handsome Jack, the world’s biggest drug lord, was in awe of his skills. He felt like he’d accomplished something big and Handsome Jack smiled, lifting up Rhys’ chin. “Aw, look at that, you’re blushing, kitten. I’ll have to compliment you more.” The flush deepened and Jack leaned in and kissed him. 

Rhys really should have punched Handsome Jack right then and there. He should have punched him and ran, or at least pushed him away. Instead, he kissed Jack back, enjoying the warmth of the other male’s mouth and sighing softly. It really had been too long since he’d had something like this. Jack pulled away moments later and Rhys opened his eyes. 

“You’re a good kisser too.” He said. “Damn did I get lucky.” Jack’s phone rang and he frowned before answering it, starting to yell at the man on the other side of the call almost immediately. He left the room and a few minutes later he returned with a bag of food. “Go ahead and eat and feel free to watch TV, kitten, this is going to be a long call.” He kissed Rhys’ cheek before stepping out of the room, threatening to kill the man on the phone while Rhys watched the sun fall below the horizon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, this chapter is a bit longer, I'm a sucker for long chapters and long works. I'm looking at maybe 20 chapters for this work, but as I write it, we'll see what happens. I have a plot planned out and I'm trying to flesh it out so I can have a plan for it and motivation to write it. 
> 
> I'm going to be going through occasionally and editing this to add more details and make it longer, so don't be surprised if you come back and there's a bigger word count. I'm not going to make any big changes with my edits, just clarification/detail/more scenery etc. 
> 
> Next chapter is where the warning becomes relevant. 
> 
> Also I'm a nerd, but I'm trying to get all my chapter titles to be song lyrics from the inspiration songs.
> 
> Thanks to Kevin and Sean for the Punch Bot and Horse Gun ideas.


	4. Guns in the Summertime

Rhys hadn’t slept easily that night. Jack had been nice and let him sleep in the guest room, which Rhys was extremely grateful for, but his thoughts had been too overwhelming. Everything had been happening so quickly and Rhys couldn’t bring himself to come to terms with the fact that this was reality for him now. Whether he liked it or not, he was a criminal and there was no escaping what he’d been dragged into. He had always been a Hyperion lackey, working for Jack, but now, he was painfully aware that he’d always been part of it, whether he liked it or not. It was only a matter of time before he ran into Jack, when he thought about it. He didn’t know if he’d been extremely lucky, or unlucky that night.

That night. It already felt so far into the past, like years ago he’d been sleeping on his tiny bed in his tiny apartment. Now he had a large bed to himself and Jack had given him permission to roam around the house and do basically whatever he wanted. If Jack had given him free reign, what was stopping him from killing him? He could easily grab one of the many weapons Jack had sitting around and shoot him. He could steal one of the cars from Jack’s garage and run away without looking back.

Was Rhys really falling for Handsome Jack? He’d only known him for a day and he barely knew anything about him. What if Jack changed his mind about treating Rhys nicely? He had seen Jack’s anger, and he didn’t want to be the subject of it. Why hadn’t he just met Jack in a bar, slept with him, and moved on? Rhys stared out the window at the waves hitting the rocks of the point. He wouldn’t be able to sleep with his mind moving millions of miles an hour. He hoped every night wouldn’t be like this.

He went to the bathroom, different from the one he’d showered in yesterday, but still nice. The bruise on his face was fading, but he had bags forming under his eyes. He hoped things calmed down soon. If life like this could even be calm. Jack must have had crazy energy to live like this. Maybe he did cocaine. It only made sense for a drug lord.

Rhys was tired of looking at his face, so he went to the kitchen, starting the coffee maker. It had taken a decent amount of testing to get the thing to work, so he and the coffee machine had become familiar. Late nights in the lab and constant testing made him drink a lot of coffee. He wondered if it remembered him. It was equipped with a small camera on the front and he hoped it remembered his tired face. “Hello Rhys!” It chirped. “Long time no see! The usual?”

He felt his heart warm at the way the machine recognized him. Even though it was just the coffee make, he felt like he had some kind of ally in this unfamiliar place. “Sure.” Rhys said fondly as he searched the cabinets for a mug, slipping one under the machine as it churned away.

“I didn’t know you were friends with the coffee maker.” Rhys looked up when Handsome Jack came in the kitchen. He was already dressed and ready, mask on, hair styled. He wondered if he’d ever see Jack without the mask.

“I,” Rhys looked at the machine. “It was a tricky process getting it to work right.” He said. “I guess I forgot to wipe its memory before it went out to you.” He leaned against the counter awkwardly, not sure what to do now that he was being watched by Handsome Jack.

“Are you friends with all of my machines?” Jack asked him with a smirk.

“No.” Rhys said as he grabbed his coffee and held it tightly in his hands. After the kiss last night, he felt strange around Handsome Jack. He didn’t know if he wanted to kiss him again or stab him with the nearest knife.

“Go get dressed.” Jack said, breaking the silence. “We’ll get food on the way to work. There’s clothes for you on my bed. Chop chop, cupcake, I don’t have all day.”

Rhys set his coffee down and headed towards Jack’s rooms. There was a bag of clothing on the unmade bed. Rhys longed to just climb in and forget about today, but he couldn’t. Handsome Jack wanted Rhys to go to work with him, so he’d do what he was told. He pulled out a pair of jeans and a soft blue v-neck. It wasn’t what he’d anticipated, Jack certainly didn’t dress this casually, but it was nicer than the shorts he’d worn yesterday.

He grabbed the shoes he’d left in Jack’s bathroom and smiled when he saw Jack had gotten him a colorful pair of socks. It shouldn’t have meant anything, but it made his stomach flutter as he put them on and stepped out to the foyer. Handsome Jack lit up when he saw Rhys. “You look great, Rhysie. Oh and by the way. I’m having a memo sent out to your friends at Hyperion. Something about a promotion that forced you to leave the country immediately. Basically, now they know you’re not dead.”

Rhys looked at Jack for a few moments, stunned by his kindness. “Thank you, Jack. That means a lot.”

“Of course.” Jack said as they went out to the garage and began the drive to Jack’s office, swinging by a fast food place for breakfast on the way there. Jack had the radio turned up and he hummed as he weaved between cars on the highway, laughing every time Rhys made a fearful noise.

The office building felt a lot more intimidating today, and the Hyperion style made it feel less foreign. It was like Rhys was going to work, only his new job was to sit with Handsome Jack in his office. The elevator trip was short and next thing Rhys knew, he was sitting on a small couch behind Handsome Jack’s desk, watching the other male open up his computer.

“Oh wait.” Handsome Jack said. He opened a drawer next to his desk and took out something white wrapped in cellophane. He tossed it over to Rhys who turned it over in his hands a few times. It was heavy and well wrapped, none of the white substance inside got on his hands. “That, is a kilo of Colombia’s finest cocaine.” Jack said and Rhys suddenly felt uncomfortable holding it. “Guess how much it’s worth.”

“A couple thousand dollars?” Rhys asked as he handed it back to Jack, who laughed at him. Rhys wanted to wash his hands in case anything had gotten on them. Maybe it would wash away how illegal all of this was.

“Oh, kitten, you’re so cute.” Handsome Jack chuckled as he put it back in the drawer. “Nah, I usually sell those for about sixty thousand.” He said it so casually, as if sixty thousand dollars was pocket change. “If you ever do this, there are two things to remember.” Jack said as he looked at Rhys. “Corner the market, and don’t do the drugs you sell. When you use your own product you get irrational and it’s easier to take you down.” He turned back from his desk and went to work.

So Jack wasn’t on cocaine. That meant his insane energy was completely natural and not being influenced or pushed by anything. If this was the natural Jack, Rhys never wanted to see Jack on cocaine. Hopefully Jack staying away from his products meant Rhys wouldn’t be forced into doing anything himself. He’d heard how difficult cocaine addictions were. He didn’t want to chase after a high he’d never get again. And it looked like Handsome Jack felt the same.

It also gave him a small hint on how Jack had possibly come into this business, or at least how he’d risen so high up. By staying relatively level headed- because Jack was definitely not level headed but this was an clearly an eccentric industry- it was possible that Jack had taken over and grown somebody else’s company. It was also clear, but the insane amounts of security and weapons Jack owned, that he was paranoid. He didn’t want to be taken down like so many in this industry were.

-

The first part of Handsome Jack’s job was boring. He dozed off more than once as Jack tracked shipments and made sure payments were up to date.

While Jack was in a particularly long phone call, Rhys was shifting around on the couch trying to find a comfortable place to rest his head. His neck was already starting to feel sore from the weird position he’d dozed off in just a few minutes ago. He was surprised when Jack sat down on the couch and held an arm out invitingly. Rhys stared at it for a few moments before Jack motioned with his chin for Rhys to come closer.

Rhys was tired, and Jack’s body would be warm and offer him a more comfortable position to rest his neck, so he relented and slid under Jack’s arm, curling up in his lap and resting his head on Jack’s shoulder. He closed his eyes and shifted around a bit before he got comfortable and when he settled, Jack rested a hand on the back of his neck, stroking Rhys’ skin gently with his thumb. He fell asleep like that, curled up to Jack, drifting in and out as Jack talked about shipments and amounts of money too big for Rhys to even try processing.

Rhys was napping against Jack’s shoulder when the suited man from a few nights ago came in, dragging a man by his collar. He woke up when Jack shifted under him and he blinked slowly, trickle of fear moving up his spine when he saw the suited man.

“Who’s this, Roland?” Jack asked as he eased Rhys off his shoulder and stood up.

“This is the guy that was supposed to show up with our coordinates on Friday night but decided he was going to miss it for something else.” Roland slammed the man into a chair and he looked at Jack. That was the man that they’d mistaken Rhys for. He was slim, but that was where the similarities between the two of them stopped.

“There was a mix up with the planes.” The man said as he looked at Handsome Jack. “My flight was delayed and I couldn’t get out in time. Then I hit traffic. You know what traffic is like in California, Jack. I tried to call your guys, I really did!”

“You were supposed to do your job.” Handsome Jack said. “All you had to do, was show up at the meeting point at the right time and give someone a thumb drive. Then you would have gotten paid and could have gone home. But you couldn’t figure out how to book a _fucking flight_ that would get you here on time. I think you know me well enough to know what I do when people fuck up this badly.” Jack said, voice low. The man gulped.

“It was a mistake.” The man said. “And I’ll fix it I promise. Just let me know what you guys want and I’ll fix it.”

“No, a mistake is spilling a drink on someone at a bar. You fucked up.” Jack corrected the man. “Where else does Vasquez keep his product?” He asked. He went over to his desk and grabbed a gun and a silencer. Jack faced the begging man and began screwing the silencer onto the gun as the man began listing cities. Rhys gulped and shrunk in on himself a bit. Jack was going to kill this man.

“Vasquez has a compound in Colombia.” The man said, eyes wide. “He keeps almost everything there. His money, his product, everything. I’ll let you put a tracking device on me and I can go there for you.”

“Do you really think I’m dumb enough to trust you?” Jack asked. “Come on, Vasquez must have taught you better than that. I know how to get information out of him and I don’t need slackers to do the job for me. Next time, I suggest you do your job.” The man deflated, relieved.

“Thank you, Jack.” The man said, relief on his features. But something didn’t feel right. “I promise I’ll help you and that this won’t happen again. I’m a good guy, Vasquez has to have told you that, right?”

Jack looked at the man and tapped his chin. “You know, I feel like I’m forgetting something important.” Jack said and then he started laughing. “Oh wait! I remember! There won’t be a next time.” He said as he aimed his gun and cocked it. “Because you’ll...Well, you’ll be fucking dead.” Handsome Jack pulled the trigger and Rhys watched, helpless as blood sprayed onto the walls and all over Roland.

The man slumped over in the chair, blood gushing out of the wound and onto the floor. Handsome Jack stepped back as the puddle of blood at his feet grew. There were small pieces of bone and brain on the floor and on the walls behind where the man had been sitting. Rhys felt sick to his stomach and he curled up on the couch, tucking his head between his knees.

“You could have at least given me a warning.” Roland complained. “This is my third suit this week!”

“And it’ll be your last if you don’t shut the fuck up.” Handsome Jack growled. “Now send some of our guys to pick up the product and send one of our moles to the compound this guy was talking about. We’re going to steal our money back from him. And more.” Roland turned to leave. “Oh, and Roland?” He asked and the Roland looked over his shoulder. “Send someone in to clean this mess up. I’m going to call it a day.”

Rhys was doing his best to not throw up, swallowing down the remains of his breakfast that were trying to escape. Jack had just killed someone like it was nothing. As if it was a daily occurrence for him. It probably was a daily occurrence here. Rhys felt like he was in a nightmare and he just wanted to wake up in his boring bed in his boring apartment. He was trapped, like the nightmares he had where everything went wrong and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop anything, but this was real. He was pressed into the corner or the couch, shaking as the drip of blood and the silenced gunshot echoed in his ears. The air smelled metallic and faintly like smoke. It smelled like death.

“Rhys?” Jack asked as he sat down on the couch and tried to rub his back. Rhys flinched away from the touch.

“You killed him.” Rhys whispered, voice shaking. “You just shot him like it was nothing.” He wanted to yell, but his voice was refusing to come out. He could see a speck of bone on Jack’s boot and he gagged. When he closed his eyes he could see it all over again, the way the man’s head had exploded behind him. The room felt like it was spinning. “I didn’t want this.” He said.

Handsome Jack sighed and leaned back. “He caused me to lose a shit ton of money, Rhys. I’m not just going to let him get away with it and tell his boss we’re going to take the product anyways. It may be unconventional, but this is a business and this is how it has to be run.”

Rhys shook his head again. “He’s dead. You can’t just kill people.”

“Actually,” Jack replied. “I can. And in case you don’t remember, when you agreed to stay, you agreed to all of this. I’m not going to make you shoot anyone, but I’m not going to stop doing my job because it makes you unhappy.”

“I can’t do this.” Rhys said as he shook his head. Sure, Jack was giving him a life of luxury, but he didn’t think he could handle people dying on a daily basis. What had happened to the Handsome Jack that had been in this office a few minutes ago, letting Rhys rest against his shoulder. Things had been calm and normal.

“Let’s talk about this at home.” Jack said as he stood up, pulling Rhys with him. Rhys would have protested, but he just wanted to be out of this room. He wanted to be out of this fucking building and he wanted to curl up in one of the cushy beds at Jack’s stupid mansion and forget about everything. He kept his eyes closed as they walked out of Jack’s office and was silent during the elevator ride and the walk to the car.

The ride home was tense, Rhys looking anywhere but Jack. When they got home, he made a beeline for the bedroom while Jack stayed close to the door, eyes burning into his back. Rhys went to his room- trying to ignore that he thought of it as his room now- and pulled off his jeans, climbing into the bed and burrowing there. A few hours later, Jack came in and sat on the bed next to Rhys, reaching out to pet his hair. Rhys hated that he liked it. He hated how it soothed him and calmed his nerves.

They sat in silence for a bit, Rhys resting his head in Jack’s lap and looking out the window while Jack’s hand moved through his hair. It would have been romantic if Jack hadn’t shot someone in front of him today.

“I’m not going to do something like that in front of you again, Rhys.” Jack told him, when Rhys didn’t move or comment Jack sighed. “Listen, cupcake, I’m a drug lord, and to be a good drug lord, you have to kill people every once and a while. It’s one of the things I have to do if I want to keep living like this.”

Did Jack really want to live in this kind of opulence though? Why couldn’t he just take a job buying and selling legal things and not drugs? He could still have a nice house and nice office if he just ran a normal business. Hell, he could live a life like this if he actually did something with Hyperion the Tech Company. There had to be something else keeping Jack in this job. Rhys wanted to figure it all out.

“What do you say we take tomorrow off and fly somewhere pretty?” Jack suggested and Rhys rolled over to look up at Jack with angry eyes. “You’re pouting.” Jack said. “It’s adorable, but why are you pouting?”

Did Jack not understand or did he just not care? “I’m pouting because I’m mad at you. And you should know why I’m mad at you.” Rhys said as he sat up and crossed his arms. “You can’t just buy my forgiveness by taking me somewhere nice. I don’t want to see people get shot, Jack. I don’t know how I can forgive you for doing something like that.” He said. “I don’t want to see that part of all this.”

“I told you, Rhys. You’re not going to see anything like that again, I promise.” He took Rhys’ hand in his own. Rhys wanted to pull it away but he didn’t. Jack lifted Rhys’ hand up to his mouth and kissed his knuckles. “I want you to have everything.” Handsome Jack told him. “I want to give you everything you want and I want to spoil you and make you the happiest person on this earth. I want to protect you, and make you feel safe.”

It meant a lot that Jack wanted him to be happy and safe. He felt safe knowing that Jack had guards all over the place. Being guarded on the inside didn’t help him feel like he was protected from Handsome Jack. He didn’t dare say it out loud, but he was still a little fearful of him. Jack had shot that man so easily and there was nothing stopping him from shooting Rhys in the same cold blood. But the Jack in front of him was so different from the one he saw earlier today. The Handsome Jack that shot that man thought of himself before anyone else. This Handsome Jack was putting Rhys before him.

“I’m still mad at you.” Rhys said at last as he played with the sheets on the bed. “And I don’t think I forgive you yet, but I understand.”

“Will you forgive me eventually?” Jack asked.

Rhys felt the familiar tug of a smile as his face betrayed him. Damn it. Jack was too charming around him sometimes. “Eventually.” Rhys said with a nod. Jack pulled Rhys into his lap and Rhys let him. They sat there for a few minutes, Rhys resting his head on Jack’s shoulder, taking in the spicy smell of Jack’s aftershave.

And then for the first time, Rhys lifted his chin and kissed Jack on the cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP my search history. 
> 
> I'm going to try posting chapters daily or every other day, but I head to school on Saturday and start on Monday. I'm usually not too busy and have a decent amount of spare time, but either way, I'm going to try making these next few chapters longer in case I can't post as much. Follow me on tumblr for updates and occasional fic musings/teasings carbonjen.tumblr.com
> 
> Thank you to Sean for being my beta. He's helping me bring this to a higher level.


	5. All the Colombians Like

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the Colombian sun

The next few days passed in a dreamlike haze. After being traumatized on that first day of work with Handsome Jack, he’d only go in for half the day, lazing on the couch while Jack tracked orders and answered phone calls. The two of them would have lunch, and then Jack would have someone bring Rhys home, where he’d do whatever he wanted until Jack got back.

Rhys liked having his alone time. It gave him a chance to get used to everything in Handsome Jack’s house. He spent a lot of his time tinkering with Jack’s devices, updating some of the programming and making sure it was working right, and he spent the rest curled up on the couch with one of Jack’s many books.

He’d never been much of a reader before his life changed. Books were another thing that cost money and took up space. They didn’t fit inside of Rhys’ tiny apartment and he was often too busy with work to really get into them. He had a few books that he’d kept from college, but that was it. Jack on the other hand, had a pretty good collection and good taste. Rhys was a sucker for thrillers and it looked like Jack was too.

Jack would usually get home and join him on the couch, letting Rhys read while he did some work, or telling Rhys about his day. It was terribly domestic, but it meant Rhys didn’t get to see Jack’s bad side. They spent a lot of companionable time together with the occasional chaste kiss, but that was about it. Rhys really couldn’t complain though, it was a relief that Jack wasn’t forcing anything on him.

Rhys was currently reading Cujo, one of Jack’s many Stephen King novels when Jack came home. “You’re early.” He commented, surprised when Jack approached the couch but didn’t sit down.

“We’re going on a little vacation, kitten,” Jack said. “Pack a bag for warm weather, we’re going to Colombia.” Rhys had an idea why they were going to Colombia. That’s where Vasquez supposedly had a compound. The past few days, Jack had been busy planning a raid and confirming details about what was going to happen.

“Do I have a suitcase?” Rhys asked as he closed his book and got up, stretching after sitting for so long.

Jack went over to a closet and pulled a duffel bag out, handing it to him. “There might be a bit of money left in there, but you can keep it.” He said as he headed to his bedroom. “Chop chop, our flight leaves in an hour!” Jack shouted from the hallway.

The duffel bag did have a few wads of cash in it, but Rhys left them there, figuring they might be useful if something happened. Over the course of the week, more clothes had arrived for him. Jack had even had someone swing by his apartment and to grab some of his old clothes. He packed a variety of outfits for the next few days. Sometimes Jack chose his outfits for him so Rhys wanted a variety for Jack to choose from if he decided he wanted to be Rhys’ stylist on this trip.

Something occurred to him as he was packing away some of his toiletries: Jack had failed to mention how long the trip would be. He imagined that it couldn’t be longer than a week, otherwise Jack would have mentioned packing a lot of clothes. Jack had called it a little vacation so it couldn’t be too long. Rhys decided he was overthinking things and put a book in his bag before zipping it shut and carrying it out to the foyer where Jack was waiting for him.

“Got everything you need?” He asked as he kissed Rhys’ cheek.

“I think so.” Rhys said with a nod as he looked at the house. He would miss it, but he was sure Jack had a place for them in Colombia that was probably as nice as the house or better.

“Alright, let’s go. There’s a car waiting for us. You ever been on a private jet?” Jack asked as they headed to the car, men taking their bags. Rhys still wasn’t used to all the guards that hung around wherever he and Handsome Jack went.

“No, I can’t say I have.” Rhys said, earning a laugh from Jack as they got in the car. Jack’s arm slipped over his shoulders and Rhys leaned into him habitually. He was used to the small intimate gestures by now, and they felt natural. Rhys couldn’t lie to himself and say he wasn’t attracted to Handsome Jack. There was something about Jack that caused Rhys to feel a warm stir low in his belly every time they were near each other. It was so easy to lean against Jack when he was there, enjoying the way their skin felt as it touched and the way their bodies slotted together.

His body thought being with Jack was easy. Rhys’ mind however, was constantly reminding him that Jack being gentle with him didn’t change the circumstances of anything. The same fingers that Jack trailed over his lips and ran through his hair pulled the trigger that ended the lives of several men. When he was alone with his thoughts, Rhys planned on yelling at Jack for all the things he’d done, but it all fell away the second Jack would come into the room.

The car pulled up to a jetway where a small plane was parked, surrounded by Jack’s men. It looked more like a jet than the commercial planes that Rhys was used to travelling in. As they stepped up into the cabin, he also saw that the interior was incredibly different as well. The interior looked like it belonged in a house, not on a plane. It was all shining dark wood and thick cream carpeting with black accents. There was a white leather couch on one side of the cabin along with a few tables made of a dark polished wood and large recliners. A small bar filled with expensive alcohols was located in the back corner along with a set of double doors that were open revealing a large bed that looked like it belonged in the clouds.

“Close your mouth, princess, you don’t want to catch flies.” Jack said with a smirk as he tapped Rhys’ chin. He leaned down to kiss his temple and wrapped his arms around Rhys’ waist. “Nice isn’t it? I haven’t been able to tolerate a commercial plane since I got this baby.”

“It’s amazing.” Rhys agreed. While he didn’t expect to be travelling with Jack on a commercial flight, this plane was much nicer than he ever could have expected. “I could spend our vacation here and be happy.”

“Well, I think we both know I’m going to spoil you more than that.” Jack said as he released Rhys’ waist and pulled him to the couch, Rhys landing on top of Jack.

There was something about the excitement of the moment, the plane, going somewhere exotic, Handsome Jack, and the small distance between them. Rhys finally allowed himself to have something he wanted without looking too deeply into it. He’d been fantasizing about doing this for days, pulling Jack in and letting Jack ravish him. There were several occasions where he’d woken up in the middle of the night, Jack’s name on his lips, needing him so desperately. He cupped Jack’s cheek and pulled him close, pressing their mouths together and opening his mouth invitingly, deepening the kiss and finally getting a good taste of Handsome Jack.

Jack nipped on Rhys’ bottom lip and Jack’s tongue found spots in his mouth that made Rhys shiver. He longed to do the same for Jack, to explore his mouth and find the places that make him unravel. He wanted this, he wanted it so badly and he couldn’t believe he kept himself from having it.

Jack’s hands slipped under his shirt, warm on his skin as they slid up and down his waist, thumbs moving over his ribs and brushing one of his nipples, sending a shock to Rhys’ lower abdomen. Rhys grabbed Jack’s collar and surged forward into the kiss, tilting his head so he could get more of Jack, more of everything.

Jack pulled away. “You really are something, kitten.” He whispered as he nipped Rhys’ bottom lip again, small keen slipping out of Rhys’ mouth before he could stop himself. Rhys let his head fall to Jack’s shoulder, resting it there as he caught his breath.

All their kisses and intimacy before this had been chaste, but now Rhys had put himself out there for Jack. Maybe being closer to Jack would make all of this easier to swallow. Or it would help distract Rhys from the gritty reality of it all. He knew why they were going to Colombia, but for now, he could pretend that this was just a romantic vacation for the two of them. He’d let Jack distract him from the reality of it all. Rhys knew deep down that eventually, the reality of all of this would crash into him in the form of some kind of complete breakdown. But for now, he was going to enjoy this.

They stayed where they were for a few moments, Rhys draped over Handsome Jack, before the plane was set to take off and they had to move, each taking their own chair as the plane took off. Rhys found his gaze wandering over Handsome Jack’s body. He normally looked at Handsome Jack and saw only that, Handsome Jack, but now he saw the finer details: The lines that showed the muscles that rested under his skin, the delicate curve of soft lips surrounded by the sharp lines of Handsome Jack’s face, the too many layers of clothing he was wearing that Rhys wanted to peel off.

They moved back to the couch when the plane reached cruising altitude, the two of them slotted together again. “I have some friends in Colombia,” Jack said. “They’re always throwing a party at their place so I thought we’d stop by. I figured you might want to get out and this way, I can finally show you off.” Rhys nodded, he’d finally get to see Jack in an environment that wasn’t his job or the two of them alone. “I want you to have fun on this trip, kitten.” Jack said. “I’m going to show you how awesome this life can be.”

Rhys laughed. “It already is awesome.” He told Jack.

“You haven’t even seen the half of it.” Jack told him. “A house and a plane don’t even begin to show you everything I can give you.”

Rhys mulled over that for the rest of the flight.

-

It was dark when they landed in the small airport in Colombia, but the lights of the city tucked into the mountains lit up the sky. Rhys knew they were there illegally. He was pretty sure Jack had his passport and ID tucked away somewhere, but it didn’t matter, they were welcomed by their driver as they drove above the city on a road carved into the mountainside.

“My friends live just outside the city.” Jack told him. “I like my privacy, so our place is a little further into the mountains.” Our place. Like it belonged to both of them. Rhys felt that warm feeling in his belly again as he pressed a bit closer to Jack, watching the city grow smaller as the car went higher up.

The party was at a house that jutted out from the mountainside, hanging over nothing and it was filled with people. Rhys only felt like a bit of an outsider as they approached the house and people greeted Jack like an old friend but gave him confused glances. Jack greeted people in his usual brash manner, but it was all friendly.

The house was large and open, the entire back made of floor to ceiling windows that showed the glittering city below. It was all shining white marble, white furniture, and crystalline light fixtures. It was clean, but Rhys preferred something less sterile. They approached the center of the house where a man on a curved couch was resting surrounded by women. There was a glass table in front of them covered in white lines of cocaine that framed a large dish with a mountain of the drug in the middle of the table.

“Handsome Jack!” The man shouted as he opened his arms in greeting. “What brings you to Bogota my friend?” He asked.

“Anton Nubar!” Jack greeted as he and Rhys sat down on the couch, clearly one of the select few allowed to sit on it. Jack’s arm draped over his shoulders and Rhys relaxed into him, trying to ignore the scrutinizing eyes around them. “I’m here for a little bit of business and a little bit of pleasure. I thought I’d pay you a visit. I know you party every night so I figured it’d be a good way to introduce Rhys here to Colombia.”

“Rhys?” Anton asked as he looked at Rhys with amused eyes. “And how do you know Handsome Jack?”

This wasn’t something he and Jack had discussed. It wasn’t even something he thought people would ask him. He searched for words, trying to think of something that wasn’t Handsome Jack kidnapped me after I fucked up his drug deal.

“He worked for me.” Jack said. “Rhys here turned some of my craziest tech ideas into reality. If a guy can take my idea to make a gun that shoots horses and make it real, I have to meet him.” Clearly Jack had put thought into this as well and Rhys had to admit the story was kind of cute, and close enough to being real that Rhys wouldn’t feel bad for using it. “I just saw him in the lab and he was so cute I wanted to steal him and give him the world and here we are.”

“And you know how Jack is.” Rhys added. “The moment he walks into a room you can’t help but notice him. To know that the Handsome Jack, appreciated my work. I think it was one of the best compliments I’ve ever gotten. The fact that he chose me, I still can’t believe it.” Rhys still couldn’t believe Jack hadn’t shot him that day.

“Wow.” He heard Jack whisper and Rhys turned to look at him, surprised when he saw how touched Jack looked. “Rhys,” Jack started but Rhys leaned up and kissed him, letting him know he hadn’t been lying about what he said. He felt lucky to have been chosen by Jack when he could probably have anyone in the world that struck his fancy.

“Alright.” Anton said. “You two have my blessing. But right now, we’re going to show Rhys what it’s like to party in Colombia.” He stood up and grabbed a bottle of champagne, shaking it until the cork popped and pouring them all glasses. Some of the girls that had been sitting next to him leaned down and did a few lines of the cocaine that was sitting on the table.

The party was a blur of faces and names he’d never remember, but everyone seemed to know Handsome Jack. They didn’t have to get up from the couch, people flocked around them, looking hopeful, like Jack might give them a reason to live. Men and women both flaunted themselves, hoping they might catch Handsome Jack’s attention. But none of them did.

Rhys still felt like an outsider at the party. People didn’t seem to understand why or how he’d gotten there and their eyes would fall to his prosthetic arm and fill with pity. They’d ask him what happened and express their unnecessary apologies before flitting off to get more drugs and alcohol into their systems. It made Rhys realize that Jack had never looked at him like that. He never pitied Rhys, he only suggested Rhys charge his arm when he noticed the way it slowed when the battery got low. Jack had never been hesitant when he touched it, treating it like it was a natural extension of Rhys’ body. He hadn’t even questioned Rhys on the days when he’d chosen to not wear it.

Rhys was relieved when they left. Being under so much scrutiny was terrible and it always left him feeling wrung out. He leaned against Jack in the car as is headed through the mountains to a more secluded location.

“So what did you think?” Jack asked Rhys as he kissed the shell of Rhys’ ear.

“I think I prefer being alone with you.” Rhys admitted.

There was a long stretch of silence as the road under the tires got rougher. “Did you mean what you said back there?” Jack asked him. “What you told Nubar?”

Rhys nodded, remembering the way Jack had looked at him, the surprise and fondness that he wanted to see again. “No one has ever treated me the way you have.” Rhys said. “You don’t pity me and that...it means a lot.” He said.

“Believe it or not, I know what it likes to be pitied.” Jack said. “I don’t see your differences as something to be pitied, I see them as something else that makes you who you are.”

Rhys felt something warm rush over him when Jack said that. He shifted so he could kiss Jack, letting that convey the feelings he couldn’t put into words. The kiss wasn’t as heated as before, but there was something deep and passionate about it. He savored every second of it before he pulled away, looking into Jack’s eyes. “Thank you.” Rhys whispered as the car pulled up to a house. It was still large, but smaller than Handsome Jack’s home on Point Loma and the house where they’d just been.

The jungle was loud around them, but it was more soothing than the sounds of the city. They walked past the guards and into the house. It was similar to the point Loma house. Smooth marble floors and a living room with comfortable furniture. The two of them ate a small dinner that had been left for them.

When they headed to bed, Rhys decided to follow Jack into his bedroom. “You have your own bedroom, kitten.” Jack said as he started undressing.

“I wanted to sleep in here with you tonight.” Rhys said, smiling when he saw the way Jack froze in place, grin spreading on his face shortly afterwards.

“Well, if you really can’t spend staying the night away from me I’ll let you sleep in here.” He said as he came over to Rhys and held him close. He frowned after a few moments. “I sleep without my mask on.” He told Rhys, “It’s not really pretty.”

“I’ve been pitied enough to not look at someone the same way.” Rhys said, mimicking what Jack had told him earlier. Jack pecked him on the lips before exhaling. This was the first time he’d seen Jack look nervous since they’d met. Jack stepped back and undid the clasps that kept his mask attached to his face. He pulled it off slowly, revealing an arced scar over his face and eye, it looked almost like someone had branded it. Rhys decided he’d let Jack tell the story in his own time.

“I think the face under the mask is more handsome.” Rhys said as he stepped forward and kissed Jack, pulling Jack’s bottom lip into his mouth. Hesitant hands came around him and slid up his back.

“You don’t have to flatter me, cupcake, I know it’s not pretty.” Jack said as he pulled away.

“I’m not flattering you.” Rhys said. “Your ego is big enough as it is. I’m telling you the truth.” Rhys actually preferred the face under the mask. The scar made Jack seem more human and it made Rhys understand that they both had something in common.

Jack pinched his ass, earning a yelp from Rhys, “Come on, kitten, let’s go to bed. Tomorrow, I’m going to teach you how to fire a gun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the kudos and comments you guys are leaving give me life. I'm so glad you guys like this fic. I'm hoping you're having as much fun reading it as I am writing it.
> 
> I wasn't able to fully go over this chapter with my beta but since I'm moving onto campus tomorrow, I figured I'd give you guys an update since the next few days will be a bit busy. 
> 
> I also upped the rating from mature to explicit.


	6. I got somethin' for ya

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where guns are a metaphor for dicks.

Rhys stared at Handsome Jack like he was a madman. “What?” He asked. “I already know how to use a gun.” And he did. Building some of Jack’s weapons had required testing them out and making sure they actually fired.

“And I bet your aim is shit.” Jack replied as he got into bed. “As much as you probably don’t like it, you need to know how to fire a gun if you’re going to be with me. You’re also going to have to learn how to aim.”

Rhys got into bed and leaned against the soft pillows, turning on his side so he could watch Jack. “You have so much security around me all the time.” Rhys told him. “I don’t think it’s necessary.”

“Things happen, Rhys. This is a dangerous business and it’s when you think you’re most protected that you get killed.” Rhys looked into Jack’s eyes and sighed, wordlessly agreeing to the shooting lesson tomorrow. It was one of the things he didn’t have a choice in. Jack turned onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. “It’s because I care about you Rhys.” He said.

-

The next morning, Rhys woke up with another body wrapped around him for the first time in years. He’d always had one night stands, leaving before the other person could wake up, or waking up to a cold bed himself. It was just how he’d lived his life. Rhys didn’t expect any of them to stay, he was okay having one night stands and waking up alone.

Well. He’d thought he was okay with it. Handsome Jack changed that. There was nothing that matched waking up and realizing you weren’t alone. Jack was a good person to wake up with, his arm latched around Rhys and head in his neck. Rhys realized what he’d been missing out on and wanted to wake up with Jack every morning, rolling over to kiss him until he woke up. Jack had smirked at him and they’d made out for about fifteen minutes before getting up and getting breakfast.

It was a serene morning, just the two of them, in no rush to do anything. Maybe in the future Rhys could convince Jack to have more mornings like this. For now though, he let Jack hold him as they looked at the Colombian jungle.

“Alright kitten, get dressed, we have a shooting lesson to get you to.” Of course Jack had to bring it up. Rhys had groaned, nearly forgetting about it. He just wanted to lay out on the deck with Jack, pretending the outside world didn’t exist and that it was just the two of them.

Rhys got dressed quickly, deciding to wear shorts and a blue polo that matched his prosthetic eye. There was a car waiting for them outside as usual, it was another one of those things that he didn’t question. Jack’s personal staff were like shadows, always there but easily forgotten.

He was almost dreading going to learn how to shoot with Jack. Learning how to properly shoot a gun was something that forced him to realize how real this was. There was a chance someone might one day try to kill Rhys and he would have to know how to kill the person before they killed him. He might even have to save Jack from being shot if the situation was bad enough. Rhys didn’t like thinking about that part of their relationship. It reminded him that he’d been forced to leave an entire life behind just because Jack thought he was cute.

They arrived at an empty area of jungle, targets pinned to trees at varying distances away from them. Colombia probably had shooting ranges but Jack had wanted to take him here for some reason. They got out of the car and a guard set up various cases on a table in front of them.

“We’re going to start with a glock.” Handsome Jack said. “I’ve always preferred pistols to revolvers, they hold more ammo and you don’t have to cock it every time you shoot.” He pulled a gun out of one of the cases and Rhys definitely recognized it. “I also like it because it sounds like cock.” He whispered in Rhys’ ear.

Rhys stared at Jack for a long moment before he finally came to his senses and swallowed. Jack handed him the gun and came to stand behind him, wrapping his arms around Rhys to help guide his hands. “It’s already loaded.” Jack said. “Most guns I’ll give you will be preloaded.” He turned the gun in Rhys’ hands and flipped a small switch. “That was the safety. You usually want to keep it on until right before you enter a...situation with someone.”

Handsome Jack guided their hands up. “I’m going to start you shooting with both hands, that way you’ll have better aim.” Jack shifted forward so they were pressed entirely together, Jack’s breath hot on his ear. Why did he have to be so distracting? “You’re going to align where you want to shoot between the sights.” Jack said. “Do you see what I’m talking about?” He asked. Rhys nodded. “Okay, good. Put your finger on the trigger but don’t shoot.” He followed Jack’s directions. “Now, you want to squeeze the trigger slowly, when the gun fires, you want it to surprise you.”

Jack’s lips were on his ear, and their fingers were squeezing slowly on the trigger. Jack licked his lips, tongue lightly brushing Rhys’s ear. The gun fired. It was loud and the kickback forced their arms up. He took in the smell of gunpowder as the sound echoed in his ears and through the jungle around them. Jack took the gun and slowly licked up the shaft of it while Rhys stared at him open mouthed.

“I think that was a bullseye.” Jack said. Rhys tried to tamp down how arousal, but somehow, Jack had made guns _hot_. “Try it again, by yourself this time.” He handed Rhys the gun. It felt heavy in his hands, but he checked the safety before following Jack’s directions and aiming at the target. He slowly squeezed the trigger and let the shot surprise him. Jack came up behind him and squinted at the target.

Rhys barely got to use his eye, it wasn’t much, it mostly allowed him to see, but he zoomed in to look at the target and nodded. “Bullseye.” He said, a little proud of himself. When he returned his vision to how it normally was, Jack was looking at him, eyebrow raised and small smirk on his face.

“You have an enhanced eye prosthetic too.” He said. Jack must have seen the way the eye glowed whenever Rhys did anything with it other than what his sight could usually do.

“Yeah. I was lucky enough to be able to get the implant as a kid.” Rhys said. “I didn’t get to upgrade it until I started at Hyperion, but I only really got to add some zoom function.”

“It’s still pretty fucking awesome.” Jack said as he leaned down and kissed Rhys’ cheek. “You get more and more interesting every day.”

Rhys blushed. “It’s not that big a deal.” He mumbled as he turned the safety back on.

“It may not be, but I like letting you know how much you intrigue me.” Jack kissed his cheek. “I like letting you know how amazing you are.”

“I’m not that amazing.” Rhys whispered in reply. 

“No.” Jack shook his head. “I think you’re wrong about that Rhys. I think you can do amazing things, but you don’t give yourself enough credit for it. I also think you’re one of the most beautiful human beings I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing and being with on this planet and after shooting that gun I want to suck that pretty little cock of yours.”

Rhys was about to deny the things Jack had said about him when his brain froze. Jack thought he was beautiful. _Jack wanted to suck his cock_. “I...I.” Rhys stuttered out but Jack took his hand, setting the gun back on the table before pushing Rhys against the side of the car and tugging at his shorts. “Jack, I-” Rhys began but Jack cut him off.

“You deserve this.” Jack said. “Think of it as a reward for your good aim.” He tugged Rhys’ pants down at last palming Rhys through his boxer briefs. “You’ve got a nice cock hiding in here.” Jack said. “I’m going to have to get you some tighter pants so I can see it more. Or I could have you wear no pants at all.”

Rhys only moaned softly, head falling back as Jack pulled his boxers down and freed him. He had to stifle an embarrassing noise as Jack took the head of his cock in, tongue doing things to his slit that should be illegal. Jack moved slowly down Rhys’s shaft, tongue pressing gently against the vein there. Rhys was coming apart against the side of the car and he let a hand slip into Jack’s hair, thumb stroking the silver streak there while Jack brought a hand up to start pumping him in time with his mouth.

He wondered where Jack had learned to give a blowjob this good. If Rhys’ arm wasn’t gripping the car door for dear life, he would be on the ground right now, a moaning, unraveling mess. Jack sucked swallowed him down, completely unfazed and Rhys knew then that he’d done this before. He glanced down and Jack looked at him with eyes that said he knew exactly what he was doing as he pulled almost all the way off.

“Jack please.” Rhys begged. “I need this, I need you, _please_.” He didn’t dare push Jack down on him or buck his hips up. Jack was a man that wanted to be in control, even when he was on his knees.

Jack pulled away, hand pumping Rhys painfully slowly, as he considered. He hummed and his thumb swiped at the bead of precum on the head of his cock before he nodded. “Since you asked so nicely.” He finally said as he took all of Rhys in again, swallowing him down with hollowed cheeks. Rhys couldn’t hold it in anymore and he came, shouting Jack’s name as his orgasm crashed into him, leaving him breathless as Jack pulled off slowly, tucking Rhys back into his boxer briefs as Rhys slid down the side of the car, totally and completely wrecked.

“Jack,” He whispered as he looked at the other male in awe. “That was...incredible.”

“I know.” Jack said. “And I hope you realize you’re incredible too one day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my dad for all the gun knowledge. I knew learning how to shoot a .45 caliber pistol might help me one day, I never knew it would be for writing gay fanfic. 
> 
> ALSO, I finally got to Rhys' eye implant!
> 
> The next few chapters aren't going to be beta'd and there might be more time between them (they'll be longer than this one though). We're going to be smoothing them over when school settles down a bit.


	7. Hand on the Back of My Neck

The next few hours were peaceful, pulling Rhys into that dream like lull. He and Jack at a simple lunch and lounged out by the pool, looking out over the jungle and listening to the sounds of the wildlife. Rhys would always prefer the whisper of trees and the sounds of frogs and birds to the sounds of the city. It felt more natural out here, the noises soft and soothing, occasionally rising and falling. He drifted off listening to it before Jack woke him up, laughing at his tanlines before pulling him inside. 

“Do you like coffee, Rhys?” Jack asked him as Rhys got used to the feeling of cool air on his skin. Rhys’ brow furrowed at the question, he and Jack had shared coffee in the mornings quite a few times. Jack usually wasn’t totally out of it to not notice what Rhys was drinking. 

“Yeah, I like coffee.” Rhys said as he grabbed a t-shirt that was hanging on the back of a chair, when it hung over his body, he realized it was Jack’s but kept it on anyways, enjoying the way the smell of Jack drifted up to his nose. 

“One of the guys from my coffee company is coming over here for a meeting. I thought you’d like to hear how the industry works. He’s also bringing a few coffee blends for us to try.” Jack said as he tugged on the hem of Rhys’s shirt and went to grab one for himself. Jack didn’t seem to mind when Rhys wore his clothes, in face, Jack always got a soft look in his eyes when Rhys did. 

“You own a coffee company too?” Rhys asked. A coffee tasting didn’t sound that bad actually. 

“Yeah, Hyperion Coffee.” Jack said. He took Rhys’ hand and pulled him onto the couch, Rhys made himself comfortable and rested his head on Jack’s shoulder while Jack’s hand settled on his back. 

“How many Hyperions are there?” Rhys asked as he closed his eyes. 

“Just the three.” Jack said. “Drugs, coffee, and tech. I figured if I did so much business in Colombia I might as well have a company here to make it look less like I’m a drug lord.” 

That made sense. “Why do you have the tech company?” Rhys asked as he pressed a gentle kiss to Jack’s neck. 

Jack shrugged. “Extra money.” He said. “And so I can get people to design whatever cool things I want.”

Rhys sat up a bit. “You could be making so much more though.” He told Jack. “A lot of the stuff you’re making that would make a lot of money isn’t even going out onto the market. We’re making between one and fifty units and then not doing anything with the patents and copyrights. If you mass produced and sold a quarter of what we make for you, you’d make ten times the money.” It was something Rhys and Vaughn had discussed several times when he’d still been with Hyperion the Tech Company. That and where money was mysteriously going. 

A slow grin spread over Jack’s face. “I like the way you think.” He told Rhys. “I think I might use that idea, and Hell, in a few months, I might put you in charge of some of Hyperion’s operations so I can make more money.” 

Rhys lit up. Jack putting him in charge of the company would give him something to do. He wouldn’t have to lounge around Jack’s house all day with nothing to do. He’d finally be able to feel like he was contributing. Like he was important. Anyways, he wasn’t wanted like Jack was so he could actually show his face around the office again. This time, he’d be successful and maybe he’d finally be respected. 

He pressed a kiss to Jack’s cheek. “Thank you, Jack.” He whispered as he held the other male just a bit tighter. 

“Anything for you, kitten. I just have to wait a bit for this deal to go through. And I need to make sure I can trust you.” Jack was looking into his eyes, thinly veiled threat hiding there. Rhys knew what would happen if Jack couldn’t trust him. 

Rhys wanted Jack to trust him though. He wanted to help Jack make money and he wanted Jack to be happy. “You can trust me.” He whispered as he captured Jack’s lips in a kiss, hand moving up to Jack’s grey streaked hair. He allowed himself to get lost in Jack’s mouth, letting their tongues slide together in open mouthed bliss. Jack’s nails scraped gently up Rhys’ spine and Rhys’s keened, back arching from the shiver of pleasure it sent through him. 

The more time he spent with Jack, the more Rhys enjoyed their time together. He wanted to spend all day and night wrapped in Jack’s embrace. His life now was so unreal and perfect compared to before. Every day with Jack put more distance between who he had been and who he was now and he didn’t want to turn back. He didn’t think he could if he was going to be perfectly honest with himself. The comfort that Jack gave him in every walk of life was something he had never been able to imagine in his old life. 

One of the guards cleared his throat, causing Jack and Rhys to separate. “Dominic is here.” The man said before disappearing back into the shadows of the house. Jack sat up and Rhys almost moved to get off of his lap but Jack held him there. A few men brought some coffee dispensers in and set them down. 

“Handsome Jack!” A man said as he came in. “Glad you decided to meet with me, it’s been too long. We’ve got several new blends I think you’ll love.” He was dressed well, but he looked nervous, something that was common with people who worked under the Drug Lord. As far as Rhys knew, Jack didn’t have a gun on him right now, so the man probably wasn’t going to be shot in front of him. 

“I figured I’d pay attention to one of my side businesses when I was in town.” Jack said. “It’s been awhile since I’ve checked the numbers on it actually. Is it doing well?” He asked. 

The man went into the details of how business was going after that and Rhys zoned out to the feeling of Handsome Jack stroking the back of his neck. This was how they spent hours in the office and Rhys was very used to this position. He did his best to keep his eyes open and on Dominic though. From what he could tell, the coffee business was doing well. A few small chains in the US and Europe were using their coffee blends, they were thinking of releasing an organic one and a few new blends to appeal to different markets. 

Dominic got them some samples of coffee and Jack asked Rhys which one he liked best every time. Jack told Dominic his two favorites before basically telling the man to do whatever he wanted. He seemed relieved when Jack dismissed him and Rhys stretched when he was finally gone. 

“What’s it like having so many people fear you?” Rhys asked. He’d gotten more confident in the questions he started asking. Jack had hinted he probably wouldn’t hurt Rhys unless he tried to run away, and Rhys didn’t want to do that, not anymore. 

“For me, fear is respect.” Jack said as he pulled his mask off and set it on the coffee table. Rhys gently massaged where the metal clamps attached it to his face and Jack groaned quietly, leaning into Rhys’ fingers. “When you work in this business, you want both, and I’ve earned both, along with a pretty good reputation.” Rhys hummed and nodded. “I wasn’t always like this when I started.” Jack said. “I was a lot more lenient, but when you’re like that, people take advantage of you. It’s how I got this scar. Because someone thought I was too much competition and tried to burn my face with a laser. I took advantage of the scar, toughened up my image and now, I’m Handsome Jack.”

Rhys kissed a few of the slightly red marks that framed Jack’s face. “I think you’re more than that.” He said softly. 

Jack sighed and brought Rhys’ hand to his lips, kissing his knuckles gently. “Sometimes I forget that.” Jack said. He held tightly onto Rhys’ palm and then rested their foreheads together. Things were quiet for a few moments, but Rhys didn’t mind it. “Tomorrow, some of my guys are going to raid Vasquez’ compound.” Jack told him, breaking the silence. “They’re going to bring Vasquez and some of the product to me while they raid everything else and take down his guys. I’m probably going to get rid of Vasquez because he thought he could break away from Hyperion and start his own cartel.”

Rhys had only heard the briefest parts of the plan, but now Jack was telling him. While Rhys wanted to keep pretending this was a dream vacation, he had to accept that it wasn’t. They were here to take down Vasquez whether he liked it or not. 

“When everything's done, we’re going to go to Miami.” Jack told him. “Apparently Vasquez has more product and money stored there as well and some new product I’m considering selling is there too. We’ll stay there for a few days before we go home. If it all goes well, you and I are going to have a boring few days.”

Jack didn’t tell him what would happen if it didn’t go well. Rhys didn’t want to know. He could only hope things would go smoothly since Jack had been in this business for such a long time. “I can help take your mind off things.” Rhys told Jack as he kissed Jack’s neck, travelling down and sucking at Jack’s collar bone. He couldn’t hide the way his hands shook though. This was dangerous. All of this was. What if something went wrong and someone came after them. He doubted Jack would put them in that much danger but still. He felt strange being in Colombia while they did this, like it increased the danger. He had to stop kissing Jack’s skin and rested his head on Jack’s shoulder, closing his eyes and trying to ward off the anxiety. 

Jack took Rhys’ chin in his hand and brought Rhys up to look at him. Jack’s face was steady and sure, it was surprisingly reassuring. “Everything will be okay, Rhys. No matter what happens through any of this, I’m not going to let anyone hurt you. I wouldn’t have brought you with me if I thought your life was in danger.” 

Rhys chose to believe him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a filler chapter. I've been busier than I thought with school so I'm probably going to post updates on weekends (probably one to two per weekend). 
> 
> Also Hyperion the Coffee Company is based off of a coffee shop near my school where I get a lot of my writing fuel so it deserves a spot in this fic. 
> 
> Next chapter the big heist is going to go down. WHOOP.


	8. In the Land of Sweetness and Danger

When Rhys woke up the next morning, Jack was already awake and on his Echopad. It was a tablet that Hyperion the Tech Company had designed for him that was heavily encrypted and Echopads connected to a network in a way that made them jump between locations whenever they did anything. Whatever Jack was doing wouldn’t be tracked and while they were in Colombia, they probably looked like they were somewhere in Europe.

Rhys pulled himself into Jack’s lap and rested his head there, Jack’s fingers tangling in his hair and the Echopad coming down to rest on Rhys’ shoulder. Jack’s brow was furrowed and he was looking at his Echopad intently. He was probably watching the progress of the heist. “How are they doing?” Rhys asked, voice still gravelly from sleep. It was still pretty early in the day from what he could tell.

“They’re in the compound.” Jack said. “I think they’re figuring out where everything is before they take anything.” Jack was nervous, but there was a hint of confidence beneath it all. Handsome Jack’s cartel was too big for this to be something worth really worrying over. Rhys could tell why he wanted it all to go over smoothly though. “Turns out Vasquez has a bigger operation than we thought he did. He was clearly gearing up to go big, but according to this, he doesn’t have enough men to manage it yet.” Handsome Jack chuckled. “Rookie move. Too much cargo and not enough men to watch it.”

“So you’ll be getting more than what you planned?” Rhys asked as he sat up and leaned against Jack’s shoulder. He couldn’t feel the area where his arm port touched Jack skin, but Jack didn’t seem to mind being in contact with the area.

“A lot more.” Jack said. “I thought he was just running something small and had everything not happened, I would have let it slide for a few more weeks before I did anything, but I’m glad this happened. Now I’ll make ten times what I thought I was going to make and I’m going to take down some competition.”

“That’s good.” Rhys yawned and closed his eyes. It was still too early to talk about any of this. The only thing he was hoping for was that he didn’t see anyone die today. He just wanted this all to be done so they could go to Miami and enjoy themselves.

“Go back to sleep, Rhysie, I’ll let you know if anything happens.” Jack kissed his temple and Rhys allowed himself to fall asleep against Jack’s chest.

He woke up to the sound of Jack cursing silently to himself. Rhys hadn’t yet heard Jack do that so he wondered if it was a good thing or a very bad thing. As he came to, he realized Jack’s muscles were tense and he opened his eyes to see Jack gripping the Echopad with white knuckles. Rhys heard the tinny sound of voices yelling and what sounded like gunshots.

Gunshots. Those were bad. Rhys snapped awake at that and he straightened. “What’s going on?” He asked, looking at the pad, but it was all a jumble of triangles and maps that he didn’t understand.

“They’re in the middle of a shootout.” Jack said. “While Vasquez didn’t have many guys, they’re all sharp shots that have nice guns.” He cursed again. “I don’t think I’m going to shoot Vasquez. I’m going to fucking strangle him so he knows how much he fucked me over.” Jack shook his head. “They’ve managed to get the product and some of the money though.” He paused. “And it sounds like they’re taking out the last of the guys from the truck. They should be on the way to the port now so we can ship the product hom.” He sighed and leaned back. “Vasquez apparently has a helicopter. They’re going to bring him here and we’re going to ask him a few questions before we go to Miami.” Jack rubbed his face tiredly.

  
For someone that loved being a drug lord so much, Handsome Jack looked exhausted right now. Rhys had to wonder how many times Jack did things like this and how much it wore on Jack. Rhys knew he was looking forward to coaxing Jack back to sleep on the plane. While he’d slept well that night, Jack clearly hadn’t. Rhys almost felt bad for being so well rested, but it might be an advantage later.

“We should get dressed.” Jack said as he got out of bed, he looked at Rhys, who was still tucked amongst the blankets, watching him. “I should. You can stay in your pajamas if you want.” He offered as he went off to the closet. Rhys decided that if Vasquez saw him, he didn’t want to look like some kind of pet, he might as well get dressed and look like he sort of belonged there. He got out of bed and pulled on a pair of dark jeans and a black v-neck, wrapping his arms around Handsome Jack when he was done.

  
They stayed like that for a few minutes, holding each other quietly as they got ready for the day. It would be crazy, even if nothing bad happened. They both knew it.

-

  
The wait for Vasquez was agonizing. Rhys tried to distract himself with one of his books, but Handsome Jack’s constant pacing stopped him from doing that. The guards were a bit more present today, just a bit closer and more obvious than they normally were. Rhys was pretty sure there were more of them too. Finally, a car pulled up in front of the house and Handsome Jack squared his shoulders. He came over to Rhys and cupped his cheek.

“This may not be pretty.” Jack said softly. “Actually, I’m pretty sure this is going to get ugly. You don’t have to stay here for this.”

  
Rhys searched Jack’s eyes for a few moments. If he stayed, he’d watch another man die at the hands of Handsome Jack. But if he left, he wouldn’t know what would happen to Jack in their time apart. He didn’t want something to happen when they were apart. There was too much going on for him to want to be forced into a room by himself. “I’ll stay.” He said. “This is you, this is your job, and it’s why we’re here. I want…” He paused. “I want to see it.” He finally said with a nod.

“Okay.” Handsome Jack said. He handed Rhys a glock, either the same one as yesterday or a similar model. He recognized the features, thumb brushing the safety as he slipped it awkwardly into his waistband. His pants had been tight, and the gun felt cold and heavy against his skin. Jack must have seen his discomfort because he smirked and said: “Don’t worry, we’ll get you a shoulder holster when all this is over.” He kissed Rhys then, their mouths moving slowly together before he stood and turned towards the door.

Rhys watched as a large man wearing a suit with awful hair was brought into the room and unceremoniously dropped onto the floor. He grunted and shirked off the hands on his shoulders. There were two of Jack’s men armed with AK-47s standing next to who Rhys could only assume was Vasquez.

Vasquez looked straight at Rhys and a slow smile spread over his features. “Oh, Jack, you got a pet. He’d kinda cute. I never pegged you as the type to pick up random whores.” It was a petty attack, but it worked.

  
“Excuse me?” Rhys asked while at the same time Jack glared hotly at Vasquez and asked. “What the fuck did you call him?”

“A whore.” Vasquez said. “And a pet.” Rhys was offended. Maybe a few weeks ago, he would have agreed with the whole pet part. Jack did seem very keen on showing Rhys off to people and showering him with affection. But the feeling had grown mutual. Rhys looked forward to when Jack came home so they could relax together and so he could help Jack unwind after a long day at work.

As much as Rhys wanted to come up with a better explanation for their relationship, the more he thought about it, the more he realized he sort of was Jack’s pet. He even called Rhys kitten. But that didn’t mean they had a relationship of that Rhys’ feelings for Jack were at all invalid. Right?

Jack kicked Vasquez in the stomach, causing Vasquez to double over in pain. “This is not about Rhys.” He said. “This is about you and me. If you mention him again, it’ll be the last thing you say before I strangle you and throw your lifeless body into international waters where no one will find you.

“Fine.” Vasquez said. “I can stick to business. Why did you raid my compound and kidnap me?”

“I think you know the answer to that.” Handsome Jack said as he looked at Vasquez. “When you started working for me, I thought we would be great business partners.” He said as he started pacing in front of the other male. “I helped you move up through the ranks, I showed you the ropes. Hell, I even let you move here to manage my product intake. Fucking Colombia.” He said. “But then, I find out you’re running your own cartel.” Jack said as he shook his head. “Not just a small operation that I can overlook because you’re ambitious, but a fucking billion dollar operation.”

“Oh come on, Jack, we both know I was going to hand it off to you after I’d gotten it off the ground.” The man said.

Handsome Jack laughed and punched him straight across the jaw. There was a sharp crack and blood started dripping from Vasquez’ mouth. “You must think I’m STUPID if you honestly think I’m going to believe that bullshit lie.” Jack said. “Come on! You know better than to go behind Handsome Fucking Jack’s back. I told you, didn’t I? If you try something like this, I’m going to kill you without a second thought.”

“Oh come on, Jack, you know how this business works,” Vasquez started. “If you see an opportunity, you take it. I saw an opportunity when you sent me here and I took it. You would have done the same.”

Handsome Jack crouched down to look at Vasquez. “You know what the difference is between you and me though?” He asked, not waiting for a response. “You’re not me.” And with that Handsome Jack’s hands were around Vasquez’ throat, squeezing so hard Rhys could see the muscles trembling all the way up Jack’s arms.

Rhys had to force himself to look away as the guttural sounds of Jack strangling a man filled the air. There was a pause and the sharp intake of breath. “You’re going to tell me where all your shit is.” Jack said. “Your money, your product, everything.” He growled as Rhys looked back at them. Vasquez had a mark around his neck from where Jack had strangled him.

Vasquez desperately started listing off locations and when Handsome Jack was satisfied he straightened. “You’re not going to win this.” Vasquez said when he was done, still panting for breath. “Sure, you know where everything is now. But good luck finding it with my men after you along with the DEA.”

Vasquez didn’t have much time to say anything else before Jack started strangling him again, not stopping until Vasquez stopped resisting and crumpled to the ground, dead. Jack stood up over him, panting softly.

Rhys was surprised how much he didn’t care Vasquez was dead. He had done something horrible to Jack, and that somehow made it all acceptable in his head. The lack of blood spattered everywhere also made it seem more like Vasquez might be sleeping. He was dead, everyone in the room knew it, but compared to the first body that Rhys had seen, he wouldn’t be surprised if Vasquez gasped for breath at any moment. But he didn’t.

“You know who to send the locations to.” Jack told the men as he sighed. “Someone needs to call our guy on the inside of the DEA and get him to see if he can verify what Vasquez said. The last thing I want is for them to get involved in this shit too.” He came to the couch rubbed Rhys’ hair. “Come on, kitten, let’s go.”

Rhys stood up but when they moved to go outside a hummer pulled up and a gun peeked out a window, spraying the front of the house with bullets. Jack managed to pull Rhys down and keep them covered. He’d gotten a glimpse of the windows and while they hadn’t shattered, they were cracking.

  
“What’s going on?” Rhys asked, panicking from all the noise that was now surrounding them. “Jack what’s happening?” He wanted to curl up on himself. Jack had promised him he’d be safe. Even though he had a gun tucked into his waistband, he never thought he’d be in a situation where he’d be using it.

“Vasquez must have had a tracker on him.” Jack said. “Did none of you bother checking him for one?” He shouted to no one in particular. Smoke and the stuffing from the couch and pillows were hanging in the air, creating a haze around them.

“We checked.” Someone shouted back. Rhys could still hear gunfire and he stayed where he was on the ground. Maybe that was why Jack preferred sunken living rooms. They provided better protection to drive by shootings. “It must have been somewhere we couldn’t see it. Things had gotten kind of messy so we didn’t have time to go over everything.”

Jack rolled his eyes and pulled Rhys close. Rhys desperately wanted to cling to Jack like the scared child he felt like right now. “Are you going to shoot them are just fire your guns so you sound intimidating?” He asked over the noise. “I am not going to die for this fucking deal!”

“We’re doing our best, sir!” Another voice shouted over the gunfire. What if Rhys never made it out of here? What was he doing in Colombia with a drug lord? Why had he ever thought going along with this would be a good idea? Part of him wished he’d gone off into another room while Jack and Vasquez talked. Jack’s arm was tight around him though, protective and warm, keeping him calm as bile rose in his throat.

“Don’t throw up on me, Rhys.” Jack said as he gave Rhys a gentle shake. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to make it through this. I’ve been through worse.”  
  


“You’ve been through worse?” Rhys asked. If he wasn’t being held in place, he would reel back in shock. “You mean to tell me that this isn’t the worst thing that’s ever happened to you? It’s certainly the worst thing that’s ever happened to me, Jack!” He was getting hysterical and he knew it. Rhys just wanted to be home. He didn’t even know which home he wanted to be in anymore. The shitty apartment or the shiny dream house in Point Loma.

“Rhys. Stay with me.” Jack said in his ear. “We are going to get out of here.”

  
Rhys shook his head, tears streaming down his cheeks and he heard someone distantly shouting at them. Jack shouted back and picked Rhys up, running towards the door and shoving them into a small helicopter, shoving a headset onto Rhys’ head as it lifted into the air and moved away from the house in the middle of the jungle. Jack slumped in his seat and took Rhys’ hand in his own, twining their fingers together.

“I told you we’d get out of there safe.” Jack said.

  
Rhys shook his head, tears still streaming down his face. “How many times is that going to happen again?” He asked Jack. “How many times will people come after us like that?” The dream had been shattered and he was reminded of the bleak reality again. Only this time it was worse and far more dangerous.

“I can’t tell you that.” Jack said. “But I’m going to do my best to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I mean it when I say I’m not going to let anything hurt you.” He told Rhys. “And I also mean it when I say I’m going to keep you safe.”  
  


“But how can we be safe?” Rhys asked.

“By doing what I’m already doing.” Jack said. “Living in a house made of concrete and inch thick bulletproof glass on a point where it’s damn near impossible for someone to reach us without at least one of my guards noticing. I’m not new to this Rhys. I’m not just alive because I’ve gotten lucky. I’m alive because I know what I’m going and because I’m fucking good at this.”

“When will it feel safe again?” Rhys asked him

“I’ll let you know.” Jack said. It was the last thing Rhys wanted to hear, that he might never feel safe after being ambushed like that. But it made him feel just the slightest bit better that Jack had been honest with him. The helicopter slowly sank down to airport where their plane was waiting. Rhys didn’t know what to do with himself. It felt like his mind and body were moving a million miles an hour, but like part of him was being left behind.

 **  
**“Come on.” Jack grabbed his hand and pulled Rhys out of the helicopter. “Miami’s waiting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The EchoComm network is loosely based off how Tor browser works. 
> 
> Song Inspiration: Gorillaz- Every Planet We Reach is Dead
> 
> Sorry this chapter took a bit. I had some personal stuff come up this weekend.


	9. Screwed Up and Brilliant Like a Million Dollar Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As much wants to hate everything, he loves it all too much.

As the plane took off and Colombia shrank under then, Rhys shook his head. He couldn’t see the white house that belonged to Nubar, he couldn’t see the house they’d stayed in. Only a city tucked into a valley surrounded by jungle. 

“I never want to go back to Colombia.” Rhys vocalized his realization as he turned away from the window and sat down in one of the plush seats. He stroked the tan leather arm rest with his fingers, looking anywhere but at Jack right now. He could feel Jack’s gaze on him like a weight on his shoulders. Rhys just wanted to slough it off but this plane was too small. He felt trapped. 

“You’ll change your mind.” Jack told him. “Everyone does.”

“How do you know that?” Rhys snapped back. They’d almost gotten killed and Jack was telling him he’d want to go back to the place where he’d seen several people die and where he’d feared for his life. Just thinking about it again caused adrenaline to push through his veins, like burning hot static. 

“Because I did.” Jack told him. Rhys rolled his eyes. That sounded painfully cliched but the adrenaline that was pulsing through him had an addictive edge to it. He wanted to feel that rush again. It was a baffling feeling. Rhys knew he’d almost died, they both had, but he knew they could probably survive in a situation like that again. 

Speaking of the shootout, Rhys pulled the gun out of his waistband and set it down on the small table in front of him. The space at his back where it had been felt vulnerable and empty. Rhys hated that he’d felt so much more comfortable holding onto a gun. 

He wondered if Handsome Jack had purposefully roped Rhys into all of this. While Rhys had never actually done anything, Handsome Jack had kept him around enough of this that even if Jack let him go, he would have too many ties to the cartel to ever be safe again. People had seen them together and while no one knew his last name, there weren’t many guys names Rhys out there that had one arm and Hyperion tech. 

Rhys had been poor before, but if he escaped this, he’d have to start completely from scratch. He’d somehow have to prove that a one armed, one eyed man had somehow gotten a computer science and engineering degree and would be useful to a company. He probably wouldn’t be safe doing his old jobs either, he’d have to learn something else and live in an even lower level of poverty. 

Intentional or not, Jack had trapped him in this life. Rhys had fallen (even if it was briefly) for Jack’s soft side and it had forced him into the cartel whether he liked it or not. What if Jack was right? What if one day Rhys was like him? He couldn’t imagine himself laughing as he shot someone in the face. He didn’t think he had the stomach for it. But the more people he saw die, the less it stung him. 

“I can hear you thinking from here.” Jack said as he looked over at Rhys. “You really need to stop overthinking all of this and just let it happen. It makes it all so much easier.”

“I don’t want to let it happen if it means I’m getting deeper into all of this.” Rhys snapped back. He missed sitting at the house reading all day, staying uninvolved, like a pet Jack came home to after a long day. 

Jack got up and came over to Rhys, grabbing his chin and making Rhys look into his eyes. “Listen to me.” He said, voice low and harsh. “I know I didn’t give you a choice in this, but you have to calm the fuck down before you worry yourself into a frenzy over everything. I know it’s a lot. I know you hate it, but guess what? It’s the way life is, and soon you can go back home and go back to doing whatever it is you do when I’m at work all day. And who knows? Maybe if you’re good and if I can trust you, I might let you run Hyperion Tech for a little bit.”

“I don’t want to get more involved in this than I already am.” Rhys protested, pushing Jack’s hand away, but it came back up and grabbed his chin again. He wondered if the DEA or Feds or whoever took care of criminals of this size would send him to jail or just kill him if he got caught helping Jack. 

“You’re already in deep.” Jack told him. “Just by being around me all the time, you’re involved with everything. I’m giving you an option to feel useful in all of this.” Great. So no matter what he had no way out of this. Jack moved his hand to the side of Rhys’ face, letting it rest there and Rhys did his best to not lean into it. “I don’t want to have a fight like this every time you see something bad.” Jack said. “You’re going to have to get used to it, whether you like it or not.” 

“I don’t like it.” Rhys told him. That much should have been obvious. 

“I figured.” Jack replied, pressing their mouths together. Rhys kissed him back briefly before pulling away. He looked hurt, but Rhys refused to feel bad for him. “I’ll make it up to you in Miami. I promise.” 

-

In Miami, they were brought to another nice home, this one was on the beach. There was a dark bottomed infinity pool that looked like it spilled into the ocean and stairs that went straight down to the sand. The decor was much like Jack’s other homes, expensive, but comfortable. There were shining marble floors and ridiculous sculptures that flaunted Jack’s wealth. There was a small brick of cocaine on the coffee table and Rhys rolled his eyes at it. He remembered the cherry flavored cocaine Jack had talked about, that must be it. 

He found the bedroom and was relieved to see their bags already there. He searched his and found a bathing suit. It was tight, but the bright blue flattered his skin tone. Rhys grabbed a pair of sunglasses and made his way out onto the pool deck. The warm breeze felt nice on his skin and the sound of the waves was already starting to relax him. He settled on one of the chairs and closed his eyes. 

Rhys gasped when a few minutes later, something cold squirted onto his stomach. He opened his eyes and was met with a maskless Jack laughing his ass off. “Your fucking face!” Jack said as he pointed at Rhys, who pouted up at him. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. But I couldn’t let you burn, could I?” He sat down on the chair and Rhys moved his legs with a frown. Jack started rubbing the lotion in and Rhys let him, tipping his head back and closing his eyes. Handsome Jack was basically giving him a massage, he would be more than happy to accept it. 

Despite laughing at him moments earlier, Jack’s hands were gentle as they moved over his skin. He peeked at Jack when he rubbed the lotion up Rhys’ thigh and the look on Jack’s face was appreciative, not predatory. Jack was very good at massages and Rhys would let out the occasional pleased him when Jack would run his hands over a sensitive spot. Jack massaged his arms, then his belly, and finally, his hands moved over Rhys’ chest. He opened his eyes and Jack was inches away, small smile on his face, concentrating on his task. It was sort of adorable, so Rhys pulled him in and kissed him. 

The kiss was soft for a few moments before Jack’s tongue ran along Rhys’ bottom lip and pressed into his mouth insistently. Rhys was more than happy to let him in, Jack’s tongue warm and familiar in his mouth. Jack ran a hand over Rhys’ chest as they kissed and he gently pinched Rhys’ nipple, causing Rhys to gasp and buck up, growing erection brushing Jack’s thigh. Jack chuckled and pulled back slightly, breath hot against Rhys’ ear as he nosed at Rhys’ jaw. 

“You like that kitten?” Jack asked. Rhys nodded. “You want more?” Rhys nodded again and Jack shook his head. “Words, Rhys, use your words.”

“Yes.” Rhys said, voice hushed but full of need. “I want more. Please.” 

“Look at you,” Jack said as he pressed his thigh against Rhys again, earning another soft moan, he left it there and started rubbing gently. “Asking so nicely.” He removed his leg and Rhys whimpered softly when the pressure vanished. “I want to come first.” Jack told him. 

Rhys could do that. He nodded and pressed his palm against Jack’s shorts, feeling the other male’s erection grow underneath his hand. “What do you want me to do?” Rhys asked as he palmed Jack through his shorts, hand gentle and teasing. Jack’s head tipped back and he moaned softly, a noise that made Rhys shudder. 

“I want you to ride me.” Jack told him. Rhys’ hand froze for a moment before he kept moving it, still gentle, not enough to get Jack off. This was the first time Jack had mentioned sex to Rhys. For some reason, Rhys had thought he’d be the one initiating it, but he didn’t mind that Jack had. He wanted to have sex with Jack, despite everything. Jack pressed their foreheads together and looked into Rhys’ eyes. “Is that okay with you Rhys?”

“Yes.” Rhys said. “Do you want to do it out here?” He asked. The sun was starting to sink down, casting the deck in light that was starting to turn gold.  
Jack caressed his face and Rhys leaned into it, eyes closed. Jack treated him like something incredibly valuable and in moments like this, Rhys loved it. He felt appreciated. “The bedroom has a pretty nice view.” Jack told him. “Let’s go there.” He got out of the chair and held a hand out for Rhys. The walk to the bedroom was slow, but it was nice. It made it seem like there was some kind of buildup to their sex. 

When they got to the bedroom, Rhys took his shorts off and climbed into the bed, waiting for Jack to get the lube and condoms before climbing into his lap. Jack was right about the bedroom, it had a great view. The combination of the golden light spilling over them and the way Jack was looking at him made Rhys feel like a god. 

Jack pulled him into a kiss and Rhys hummed, falling into the feel of it easily. Jack pulled away and squirted some lube into his hand, watching Rhys the entire time as he coated his fingers with it. “Are you ready?” He asked as he traced a line down Rhys’s back and made his way between Rhys’ entrance, slowly circling there and waiting. 

“I’m ready.” Rhys said. He keened softly when Jack pressed into him. It the burning feeling of intrusion faded quickly and gave way to pleasure. Rhys rested his head on Jack’s shoulder, listening to the other male whisper encouragement in his ear. A second finger joined the first and Jack started moving them gently, stretching Rhys. It had been awhile since he’d slept with anyone, but Jack was patient. Their mouths pressed together as Rhys moved his hips with Jack’s hand, pressing into it. He moaned when Jack brushed his prostate and pressed down against Jack’s fingers to feel it again, groaning when the burst of pleasure hit him. Things went the same way when Jack slipped in a third finger, a slight burn and then the reward of pleasure. 

Jack pulled his fingers out and Rhys grabbed the condoms, giving Jack’s erection a few pumps before rolling it on. Jack slicked himself up as Rhys got comfortable, arms draped over Jack’s shoulders and the two of them pressed close. 

“You look so beautiful right now, Rhys.” Jack said. “Waiting for me.” He pressed his face into Rhys’ neck as Rhys adjusted himself over Jack.

“I’m ready.” He told Jack. “I’m ready for you Jack.” He lowered himself down and let Jack in. It was amazing, how Jack felt inside him. He was bigger than some of the guys that Rhys had been with, but it didn’t hurt, he was stretched just the right amount. Jack moaned with him as Rhys settled down in his lap. He catches his breath for a few moments before he starts moving, Jack catching onto his rhythm and matching it with his hips. It pushes Jack deeper causes Rhys to release a breathy “Fuck,” Followed by a low moan as Jack kisses him. 

Their skin goes from being tinged gold, to orange, to pink as Rhys moves over Jack while the sun sets, their pace growing more rapid as the sun heads towards the horizon. “I’m close.” Jack tells Rhys as he moves his hips a bit more erratically, Rhys’ thighs burning as he tries to keep up with Jack’s pace. Eventually Jack cries out and his hips stop, twitching a few times as his head falls back and his eyes close. He looks blissed out and Rhys wants to see it again, he wants to be the reason behind that face.  
He moves slowly to milk Jack through his orgasm before he pulls off. Jack reaches between them and starts pumping Rhys slowly, hand swiping over the head of his erection using the slick of Rhys’ precum to make the slide of skin against skin sweeter. Rhys hits his orgasm moments later, not needing much after having Jack brush his prostate over and over. He and Jack breathe for a few moments, bathed in the blue light of early evening. Jack reaches over to the nightstand and grabs a washcloth, wiping them off while Rhys kisses his neck and whispers sweet things there. 

“You were amazing, Rhys.” Jack tells him as he pulls Rhys’ chin up and looks into his eyes before pressing a few quick kisses to his lips. “Can I keep you?” he asked. 

“Do I have a choice?” Rhys asked in return. He distinctly remembered Jack telling him he didn’t.

“I’m asking this time.” Jack said. “And I’m letting you answer however you want. This doesn’t happen a lot so don’t ruin it with stupid questions. Can I keep you?” He asked. 

Rhys realized that Jack was asking for Rhys’ permission. As they both hung there in their post orgasmic haze, Rhys wondered if Jack could keep him. At times he felt like a pet, or like he had no control over anything that was happening. But moments like this made it worth it. Jack looking at him like he was the most important thing in the world, the two of them tangled together like nothing else matters. Rhys realizes he’s falling for Jack despite everything. He realizes that despite the drugs and chaos and death, he doesn’t care. 

“Yes.” Rhys finally said. “You can keep me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait on this chapter, school is busier than I thought it would be. I joined a club sport and I'm hanging with friends a lot. 
> 
> Title of the chapter taken from Million Dollar Man by Lana Del Rey and it's being added to my list of inspiration songs for this fic. 
> 
> I have a Quidditch tournament this weekend so it might be another two week wait for the next chapter.


	10. Ride or Die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm not dead and neither is this story!

Rhys doesn’t want to wake up when the morning comes. Last night had been so perfect and for a few fleeting moments, when Jack was wrapped around him, he would forget why he was here and he would bask in happiness. But the night always gave in to a new day, and today was the day they stole Vasquez’ product. 

Jack had put on his mask and they had dressed themselves in relative silence. It was almost painful to see the Jack he had given himself to transition into the Jack that had taken him. As much as Rhys hated it, Jack was an entirely different person when he put his mask on. He supposed it was only fitting, Jack didn’t just wear a mask to hide his scar. 

After a short breakfast that Rhys made them, Jack pulled out a black case and opened it, beckoning Rhys over. He pulled a black pistol out, “Remember this?” Jack asked him. It was the glock from a few days before. Rhys nodded and Jack handed him the weapon. Rhys was surprised again by the weight of it, but it was familiar and he got used to it easily. “Show me the safety.” 

Rhys pointed the gun at the ground and flicked the safety, “Off,” he said, he flicked it again, “On.” 

“Good,” Jack said, “It’s loaded. 13 shots. Remember that.”

“Why do I need to remember that?” He asked. Rhys felt something cold trickling down his spine. Jack’s face betrayed nothing, but the fact that he was giving Rhys a gun and telling him that he’d have to keep track of bullets showed Jack’s caution. 

“Because it’s important,” Jack said. He pulled a series of black straps out of the case next. “This is a thigh holster, it’s where you’re going to keep your gun. Let me help you put it on.” Jack kneeled down in front of him, and Rhys let him slide the straps up his thigh and tighten them. He expected to feel Jack’s hand travelling upwards, but Jack’s hands were clinical in their task. Once the holster was on and the gun was inside it, Jack’s hands were gone. 

Rhys watched Jack slip his own guns into their holsters, one on each thigh. He even put a knife in his boot and one in a strap on his chest. Rhys watched in silence as Jack placed his hands on the island in the kitchen, staring down at the slick marble. 

“Handsome Jack,” Roland said, announcing his entrance into the house. Jack straightened and slipped seamlessly into the role of arrogant drug lord. 

“Is the car here?” Jack asked. “Because I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to fuck Vasquez the rest of the way.” 

Rhys relaxed slightly, it was easier to see Jack with false confidence than with honest fear. It was easier to believe all of this was going to go off without a hitch if Jack was acting like it would go perfectly.   
Roland brought them out to a large SUV. It was sleek and as Rhys was getting in, he noticed a bit of carbon fiber on the doors. So it was an armored vehicle. He remembered looking at them one day with Vaughn. They’d jokingly looked at armored cars and had laughed at the astronomical prices. Rhys had never dreamed of being able to afford anything like an armor car. Back then, he probably couldn’t afford to look at one, let alone sit in one like he was doing now. 

Rhys missed Vaughn. He missed sitting a shitty apartment playing video games with him, using his eye to cheat and Vaughn using his glasses to get right back at him. He missed eating pizza with Vaughn and laughing at shows in Korean that they never understood (the apartment didn’t get any other channels). His life had been boring and lackluster, but it had been safe, and he missed that. While Jack gave him a life of extravagance, there was an exhilarating sense of danger that could be exhausting at times. 

Rhys watched as the city of Miami transformed around them. The empty trees and road gave way to the Miami strip, shining bright in the Florida heat and filled with people. It was full of life, even in the mid-morning. He watched as they passed smiling faces and people walking around in bathing suits without a care in the world. The hotels and tourist shops gave way to apartment buildings and regular shops, grocery stores, bars, and restaurants. The sun seemed to shine a little less the more they drove. 

The city got grimier as they approached a the industrial district. There were birds hovering in the air and around ships at the docks, hoping to catch a fish from one of the trawlers. The car brought them into a cluster of warehouses, some in better shape than others. Rhys watched men carry shipping containers into one and he knew that this was their destination. 

Roland pulled up to one of the warehouses and a woman opened the door, immediately closing it behind them. The warehouse was dim, light shining through the thin material of the corrugated plastic roof. The warehouse was filled with stacks of shipping containers and crates that Rhys could only guess contained Vasquez’ stash. Roland cut the engine and the silence around them was unbearable as the woman came and opened the door. She smiled at Jack and Rhys felt unsettled. He’d expected to see more of Jack’s men here, looking the same in their suits and ties. 

“There were only a few guards watching this place,” the woman said, stepping back as Jack got out of the car. Roland opened the door for Rhys and he stepped out. The doors of the car shut, loud and echoing in the warehouse and Rhys heard Jack curse. The tinted windows didn’t give a Rhys a view of what happening, and he didn’t have a chance to run before he was grabbed from behind. 

“Sorry about this,” Roland said. 

“Sorry about what?” Rhys asked, and then he was hit on the side of the head. Pain bloomed from where he’d been hit, and then there was darkness. 

-

Rhys woke up, head pounding, and he realized that this was the second time in his short acquaintance with Handsome Jack and Hyperion the Drug Cartel, that he had been knocked out and tied up. He tested the bonds on his hands and they were fairly loose. His arm still held a charge, giving him use of it. That would be beneficial in his escape. He wasn’t blindfolded and Jack was tied up in front of him, gagged, and looking like he could kill an entire population with his heated glare. 

Rhys was very glad he wasn’t the subject of that glare. 

“There we go,” the subject of that glare, the female from earlier, said. She smiled at him serenely. “I’m Athena Springs with the DEA.” Rhys could hear Jack saying something rude behind his gag. Athena rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry that you’re all caught up in this. But we had to take precautions since Jack was keeping you so close.”

Rhys didn’t have a gag, and he knew that being rude to Athena, as much as he wanted to let her know what he thought of her tying him up, was a bad idea. Instead he simply nodded and said, “I understand.”

Athena smiled when he said that. “Good,” she said. “I wasn’t sure you’d participate. Roland told me you were getting kind of close to Jack, but then again, when a drug lord kidnaps you, I don’t think there’s much of a choice.” 

“My choices were participate or die,” Rhys said. 

“I think you made a wise choice,” she said. “I’d rather have you alive, and here, able to bring you back home, than dead and part of Handsome Jack’s very large body count. Normally, we’d take you in for questioning, but because this is a field investigation, and a very sensitive situation, we’re just going to do it here.” 

“Sounds fair,” Rhys said. 

“Good,” Athena said, glad Rhys was going along with everything. “Handsome Jack is wanted for many crimes, I could list them all but I’m basically going to give you a summary: murder, possesion of drugs, distribution of drugs, and selling drugs. Are those crimes true?” She asked him. 

Rhys could feel Handsome Jack’s glare burning into him. The holster was gone from his thigh, but there was a gun next to the chair where Handsome Jack was tied up, haphazardly tossed there when they’d tied him up. Roland was nowhere to be seen. “Yes,” Rhys said. “All of them are true.” 

“Did Handsome Jack kidnap you and hold you against your will?”

“Yes.”

“I’m not going to go into it all now,” Athena said. “But I wanted to make sure you were on our side. If you testify against Handsome Jack in court, you won’t be found of any charges, and we’ll put you in a witness protection program where you’ll be very financially stable and safe from any of Handsome Jack, or any other drug lord’s men. Jack can make all the threats he wants, but I assure you, he won’t be able to do anything.”

“And all I have to do is testify against him in court?” Rhys asked. 

“That’s all you have to do. Then you can move on from all of this.”

“I’ll do it.” Rhys said. He watched Handsome Jack thrash in his chair, cursing at him through the gag. 

“Wonderful,” Athena said. “Roland went to get one of our official vehicles. When he gets back, we’ll take you to one of our offices and begin the process of getting you somewhere safe.” She began turning away.

“Officer Springs?” He asked her. 

“Yes?” She turned back towards him. 

“Can I punch him?” Rhys asked. “For all the things he did to me?” He made his voice sound small when he said it. Jack narrowed his eyes. 

Athena looked around the warehouse. “I’m not supposed to do this,” her mouth quirked up in a small smile. “But yes. Roland gave me a rundown of some of the things he did to you and the least you deserve is to punch him.” She untied him and Rhys smiled, rolling his wrists and standing up. He walked towards Jack and stood in front of him. 

“Can we have a moment, Athena?” He asked her. “I have some choice words for him.” 

“Of course,” she turned around and Rhys marvelled at how easy this was. Jack gave him a strange look and Rhys kneeled down on the ground, picking up the gun. Jack glared at him, and Rhys wanted to slap him. Was Jack really not thinking about this right now?

He leaned close to Jack, mouth brushing the shell of his ear, “You owe me for this,” he whispered. Rhys stood up slowly and turned the safety off on the glock, relieved when it was silent. He knew he would have to be fast. He aimed, relieved for the closeness of his target. Rhys took a deep breath, he cocked the weapon and before she had a moment to react, Rhys pulled the trigger. 

Athena was dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah so I decided to bring this back to finish it. I couldn't just let it die. 
> 
> Updates will be sporadic, but I will get this story finished eventually. 
> 
> Jack and Rhys will have sex on a pile of money damn it.


	11. Screwed Up and Brilliant

This wasn’t the first time Rhys had seen a dead body, but this was the first time Rhys had ever shot someone on his own. As he stared at the remains of Athena on the floor, blood spilling out and under his shoes- some deep part of him thinking shit, now I’ll need new ones- he tried to process everything running through him. 

“Rhys,” 

First of all, he felt the heavy, crippling weight of guilt on his shoulders and in his belly. How long would it take before he would get the image of the corpse in front of him out of his head? How could he have acted in a manner so rash? The DEA and whoever else was after Jack would know he wasn’t just a plaything anymore. He was part of this as much as Jack was in their eyes. 

“Rhys,”

And then there was the pride in how far he had come in the few weeks he’d been with Handsome Jack. Gone was the wimp that didn’t know what to do when he even saw a gone, and in its place was someone confident, and unafraid to take a human life if it meant his lover had been threatened. 

“For fuck’s sake, RHYS,”

“What,” Rhys asked as he turned towards Handsome Jack, still tied up in the chair. Jack was looking at him in a way that Rhys never thought a man that rich or powerful could ever look at someone like Rhys- with respect. “Can’t you tell I’m having a moment here?”

“I see that, and wonderful for you, you’re having a nice deep monologue about how killing someone has changed you, we all do that. You know what though? We’re going to have a fuck ton of people coming towards us in the next few minutes and this moment will mean nothing if we don’t get out of here.”

“I see you’re very grateful,” Rhys said as he clicked the safety back on and tucked the gun into the back of his pants. 

“Whoa, hey,” Jack said, shaking his head. “At no point did I say I wasn’t grateful. Trust me, I have enough thank you’s planned to last the rest of your life, but I think they’ll be much more effective if we live through the next ten minutes.” 

“Fine,” Rhys said as he untied Handsome Jack, working at the ropes and trying to figure out why the DEA would bother with so many complicated knots. In the distance he could hear the roar of engines and the squeal of brakes. Jack sighed and Rhys gave the ropes a quick tug before they came loose and Jack stood up. 

“We have about four minutes until the DEA figures out something’s up. Sometimes they’re not too bright,” Jack said. An escalade was parked inside the warehouse and Jack opened the door. “Thank god the DEA are lazy bastards,” Jack said as he pulled a sheet out of the car and threw it in Rhys’ direction. “Toss this over the body,” Jack said as he searched around the car, muttering occasionally about the contents. 

Rhys tossed the blanket over the body and tried his best to make it look like the body may have belonged to Jack and not Athena. Jack made a victorious noise and Rhys headed towards the car. 

“Get in,” Jack said as he started the engine. “You’re going to experience your first car chase.” 

Rhys sighed and got in the front seat, buckling his seatbelt as Jack fiddled with the radio, settling on a station before throwing the car into drive and tearing out of the warehouse without warning. The tires squealed on the floor and Rhys closed his eyes as the car blew through the entrance of the warehouse. There were about four cars outside and Rhys watched as the drivers all fumbled to chase them as Jack flew past. 

Jack weaved around the large buildings with expertise, but the cars behind them seemed to have experience in chases as well, they hadn’t been expecting a large takedown, but with Handsome Jack, there was always a show. 

“So Rhys, why didn’t you shoot me?” Jack asked as he jerked the wheel and the car screamed around a corner. Rhys felt the car tip just slightly before it balanced again and they continued through the maze of buildings. 

“Because,” he said. “You don’t pity me, you appreciate and value my talents, and after I shot Athena, for the first time in my life, someone truly respected me” He looked out the window and tried to force the words out of his mouth. Shooting Athena was easy compared to this. “And I think because of that,” he said, hand fisting in his jeans to hide his nervousness. “I think I may have fallen in love with you.”

“Rhys,” Jack said as he looked in the rearview mirror and turned into a warehouse at random. He cut the engine and turned the lights of, coasting until they were nestled between large containers. They looked at each other. “You have done so many things to surprise me tonight, and while this may be the fuck ton of adrenaline that I’m running on right now, I think I love you too.” 

It was strange to hear that Handsome Jack, a man who loved drugs, stupid gadgets, and money more than anything in the world, actually loved him. Then again, all the things that he loved about Jack, probably made Jack love him in return. Rhys was surprised that all of this had turned out this way. He wasn’t dead, and Jack was in love with him. It all seemed surreal in the dark heat of Miami. 

Jack turned to the car’s computer and dialed a phone number. It rang for a few moments before someone picked up and Jack relayed something to them in spanish. After he hung up he took a deep breath. “It sucks for the DEA, but a couple of different businesses keep their supplies here.” He got out of the car and popped the hood, looking around and messing with a few of the wires. “I’d take off those shoes if I were you,” Jack said. 

“What is this,” Rhys asked as he looked around the large warehouse. He took off his shoes and tossed them in the direction of the car. It was similar to the last one, filled with lots and lots of containers. He could hear the distant sound of cars searching around for them. 

“This is the stash for Hyperion Coffee,” Jack said as he looked at the numbers on the containers and tapped the side of one of them. “Which is a legitimate business a majority of the time, but occasionally,” he opened up the container. The smell of coffee wafted out and Jack clicked on a flashlight revealing bags of coffee. “You smell that Rhys?” 

“Coffee?”

“Colombia’s finest legal money maker,” Jack said as he went over to one of the bags and opened it with a knife. Coffee beans spilled out and then Jack riffled through the bag and pulled out a stack of bills. “Also great for disguising profits from Colombia’s finest money making product,” Jack sniffed the wad and made a heady noise. “Coffee and money, that is a great smell right there.” Jack said as he tossed the money to Rhys. 

He looked around the warehouse. “Is that what this is?” he asked. “Are all of these containers and crates filled with this?” 

“That’s my smart cupcake,” Jack said as he continued pulling money out and stuffing it into his pockets. “And right now, Hyperion Coffee is on their way to do an inventory check after a shooting and suspected robbery that they heard about from security.”

“Can’t the DEA stop them?” 

“They could if I hadn’t led their men on a goose chase halfway across the industrial district.” Jack said with a triumphant smile. 

A bright red truck pulled into the warehouse and Jack smiled as he went over to it. “Ricky, my man,” he said as a short man got out of the truck and hugged him. They conversed in Spanish and Jack waved Rhys over. 

“This is my friend Rhys, he and I are dying for some of your best cuban sandwiches.” Jack draped an arm over Rhys’ shoulder and Rhys grinned. 

“Of course, Handsome Jack,” The man said as he opened the door to the back seat and they got into the truck. 

“So Ricky, you know anything about the DEA in my business?” Jack asked when they were out of the warehouses and heading back towards the Miami strip. The further they got away, the more Rhys and Jack were able to relax. 

“I know that Hyperion Tech had a few,” Ricky said. “But they stayed out of Hyperion Coffee, they only checked the farms and then deemed the rest of it as legit.”

“And that’s why I’m putting you in charge of the rest of my business until all of this calms down,” Jack said. “Do you still have Eli working for you?”

“Yes sir,” Ricky said. “Want him to help investigate staff?”

“You read my mind,” Jack said. “I want all the people working for Hyperion to be afraid of me, but I also want to trust them.”

“That’s a lot to ask, but Handsome Jack is the man that can get it,” Ricky said. “I have a nice place here on the strip where you can stay while you wait for everything to clear up.”

“Ricky, this is why you’re my favorite,” Jack said. “You always take care of me.” They pulled into a parking garage and Ricky dropped them off next to a door, handing Jack a set of keys. 

“I’ll bring your cuban sandwiches soon,” he told them in English before conversing with Jack for a few moments in Spanish. Ricky laughed and winked at Rhys before he pulled out of the garage, music coming out of his speakers and echoing into the quiet space. 

“Are you ready to eat the best sandwich of your life and then pass out?” Jack asked as they got in the elevator.

“Yes,” Rhys said as he leaned his head on Jack’s shoulder. It was warm and smelled like gunpowder and blood. “You also need a shower,” Rhys said. “I think we both do.” 

Rhys didn’t pay attention to the details of the condo, he just followed Jack back towards the bathroom where they both stripped off their clothes. Jack kept the lighting dim as he turned the shower on and adjusted the temperature. Rhys pulled off his arm and set it on the counter. The battery was almost dead and right now he didn’t want to deal with it, not after everything he’d been through. 

As soon as he finished rinsing himself off, he felt Jack’s hands on his skin and they gave each other what had to be the most tired, yet satisfying hand jobs in their lives. It was enough to burn out the last of the adrenaline and really end this mess of a day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the penultimate (second to last)
> 
> Next chapter will have the money scene (lol) and a closure. 
> 
> Thank you all for sticking with me through this year, it's been super crazy, but I'm glad I've been able to give you all this fic and learn more about the cocaine industry than I ever thought I would.


	12. On Our Drugs and Our Love

It took a few days for Jack to sort everything out with “The New Hyperion” as he was calling it. From the legal side of things, not much needed to be done, but from the illegal side of things, it was an extreme makeover. Handsome Jack not only had to find out who was loyal and who wasn’t, but he had to change almost all of his locations, his house, his office, and so many other small establishments Rhys couldn’t keep track of them all. Due to the need for new real estate, they flew back to California, a flight that was made up almost entirely of phone calls. 

While it was nice to have a bit of a break after the events of the past few weeks, Rhys actually kind of missed having Handsome Jack there with him. Jack was so busy running things that Rhys felt like he was out of his element. After a few days, Jack put Rhys in charge of some tracking for shipments and making sure everything arrived on time. It was busy work, but it wasn’t fulfilling. It was all business. There was also one shipment coming in from Florida that Jack was adamant about. 

Rhys was sitting at the desk of their new office when Jack came in and sat on the edge of his desk. “Rhys, if I had known being infiltrated by the DEA was this much work, I would have blown my brains out in that warehouse.”

“But then you wouldn’t be able to keep making money,” Rhys said, knowing Jack was far too arrogant to give up his life when he could be making more money than he knew what to do with. 

“True, but damn, this is so much work. I have to get a new house, new cars, a new identity, it’s all so...mundane. I feel like my father.” 

Rhys leaned on his hand and looked at Jack for a long moment, eyebrow raised. “Poor you,” he said. “I was doing research and Bolivia’s market was blown recently, I’d move my business elsewhere until things calm down. Right now Peru is actually looking pretty good for business.”

“How did you find that out?” Jack asked. 

“Hacked the DEA,” Rhys said as if it was effortless. It hadn’t been. It had taken Rhys hours to get in, and when he did, it had taken him longer to figure out where to listen to find out if anyone was on their case again. It looked like they had left Jack alone for now.

Jack was looking at him with wide eyes and a smile that would have made Rhys shake in his boots six months ago. Hell, it would have had him shaking six days ago. “Sometimes I can’t believe what you’re capable of,” Jack said. “They’re setting up a new house for us now. I was going to wait until we got a little more done, but hacking the DEA...can you tell if they’re tracking us?”

“They’re not,” Rhys said. “They think you’re too on guard right now. They’re going to wait until you get arrogant. Little do they know, I’m going to delete all their files on you right before they act on that.” 

Jack shook his head and grinned. “Tonight, I’m going to surprise you,” Jack said. “With something amazing.” He leaned down and took Rhys’ chin in his hand, they looked into each other’s eyes for a long moment before Jack crashed their lips together leaving them both thoroughly debauched. “Work hard for me, cupcake.” Jack pecked his lips one more time, sweetly, before he went off and continued his work. 

-

Rhys almost expected Jack to cancel the night’s surprise, whatever it was supposed to be. Rhys thought it was dinner until Jack came into his office with arms full of takeout and a sad look on his face. It turned out, while Jack had wanted to do a nice dinner, the surprise was still in place. The house was just taking a bit longer to set up. 

After a long car ride to the new house, they finally arrived. If he had done any more work, Rhys would have been exhausted, but the surprise was keeping him thrumming with excitement. Jack was also unable to keep a grin off his face as they pulled into the driveway and entered the house. The new house was surrounded by guards, a protective wall, a fence, and more guards.

Inside, it was more beautiful than the previous house had been. Some of Jack’s belongings had been moved over and fit in perfectly with the decor. As they passed the giant pony statue, Rhys couldn’t help but notice that it almost looked happier here. 

Jack showed them to the bedroom and he turned his back to the door. “I’m not going to lie,” Jack said as he looked at Rhys. “This is something I’ve always wanted to do, but I was waiting for the right time and the right person.”

“Are you proposing?” Rhys asked. “Because if you are, I’m not impressed.”

“No, marriage is a farce,” Jack said. “Tonight, we are going to make love and it’s going to be amazing, you know why Rhys?”

“Why?” he asked. 

“Because,” Jack said as he opened the door and gestured for Rhys to step inside. “We’re going to fuck on a giant pile of money.”

Rhys looked at what had to be the largest concentration of cash he’d ever seen in his life. It was neatly stacked with glass on the sides to keep it in place. He walked over to the pile and looked at the top, picking up one of the bundles. As Rhys flipped through it, the scent of coffee combined with the smell of the cash, filling the air with a scent that was strange, but sexier than he could have ever thought. “Is this all hundreds?” Rhys asked as he set it back down and ran his hands along the tops of the bills. 

“Yep. I think it’s somewhere around 600 million,” Jack said. “Give or take a couple million.”

“Give or take,” Rhys said, voice breathy. He couldn’t believe he was standing in front of this much money. He couldn’t believe he was about to have sex on top of it. Rhys felt Jack’s warm arms wrap around his waist and he leaned into Jack. 

“Would you do me the honor of stipping down and making yourself comfortable?” Jack asked as he started mouthing at the side of Rhys’ neck. Rhys made a soft noise and nodded. 

He turned around and pulled away from Jack. He unbuttoned his shirt and slowly pulled it off, letting it fall on the ground. Jack looked hungry and Rhys continued, watching Jack’s erection grow as unbuttoned and pulled down his pants. 

“Your legs are so fucking long,” Jack said as he watched Rhys hop up onto the side of the bed and back onto it. The money didn’t have much give, but he didn’t care, it was a bed of money. 

“Are you going to just stare at them or are you going to come here so I can wrap them around your waist while you fuck me?” Rhys asked. 

Jack laughed and took his clothes off faster than Rhys had ever seen anyone strip down. Jack climbed onto the bed and pressed Rhys onto it, capturing his mouth in a rough kiss and pressing their hips together. Rhys moaned into Jack’s mouth as Jack surrounded him. He reached a hand up and twined his fingers into Jack’s hair, pulling gently at it as Jack kissed him. 

“Ooh, Rhysie, getting confident, are we?” Jack moved down and started biting at Rhys’ neck, teeth digging into the skin hard enough to bruise. While Jack was biting and sucking bruises onto his neck, he reached a hand down and pulled Rhys’ boxer-briefs off, tossing them aside. Jack stroked him gently for a few moments before he broke away and reached up to grab lube and condoms. 

He leaned back to slide the condom onto his erection and coated his fingers with lube. “Are you ready?” he asked as he crowded in close again.

“Yes,” Rhys said. “God yes.” He wrapped one of his legs around Jack and pulled him in close, needing the heat. Jack started circling around his entrance slowly before he slid his finger in. Rhys tipped his head back and groaned, Jack was moving his finger so slowly and waiting for him to slide in his second finger was agonizing. He never knew that Jack would be such a tease like this. 

Jack leaned down to kiss him as he slid the second finger in, tongue exploring Rhys’ mouth while he scissored his fingers and stretched Rhys. Occasionally, Rhys would gasp into Jack’s mouth when Jack brushed his prostate. Jack would only smirk and touch the area again, causing Rhys’ hips to buck up. 

“Ready?” Jack asked as he pulled his fingers out, almost immediately, Rhys wanted Jack back inside him. 

“Yes,” Rhys pleaded. Jack hummed as he loomed above Rhys, lubing himself up again before lining himself up with Rhys’ entrance. Jack pressed the head in and he and Rhys both moaned. Rhys wrapped his other leg around Jack, crossing his ankles behind Jack’s back. As Jack slowly pressed inside him, stretching and filling him, Rhys pulled Jack closer until Jack was in completely and Rhys was already feeling amazing. 

Jack leaned down to kiss him again before starting up a slow rhythm. “God, Rhys, you feel so good.” Jack said, voice low and rough as he started a slow pace of thrusting in and out. Rhys moved his hips with Jack, driving him in deeper with each thrust. Rhys cried out when Jack hit his prostate and he gripped at the money by his hands, feeling the material crease under his fingers. 

“I love you,” Rhys said between moans as Jack thrust into him. “So goddamn much, Jack.”

“I love you too,” Jack said, his thrusts growing more erratic. Jack reached between them and started pumping Rhys’ erection in time with his thrusts. After a few moments of quick movement between them, Handsome Jack came with a shout, Rhys moments behind him. They lasted a few more moments like that before Jack collapsed on top of Rhys, pulling out and panting. 

“Holy shit,” Jack said. 

“Yeah,” Rhys replied as he looked up at the ceiling. 

They stayed like that for a few minutes before Jack shifted slightly. “Want to move to the bed?” He asked with a grin. 

“Yeah,” Rhys replied. “This was great but a bed is a bit more comfortable.”

“We’re keeping it though,” Jack replied. “For special occasions.”

“Of course,” Rhys said as he kissed Jack’s temple. 

“Asshole,” Jack replied, eyes warm and fond. 

“You love it.”

“I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's that!
> 
> Thank you all so much for sticking with me for this fic! It's hard to think I've been working on this for a year. While it may have taken me some time to finish, and while I'm not really in the BL fandom anymore, I am happy that this is the first fic I've finished and published. I also learned more about the cocaine business than I ever imagined (which exposed me to an interesting genre of TV's and cinema), and I wrote the sex on top of money scene. 
> 
> It's been a great time. 
> 
> <3 Jen


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